Sweet Torture
by Captain Annie
Summary: A fun, romantic comedy highlighting the best moments between Hogwarts most famous couple, none other than Lily Evans and James Potter. Join them as they bicker, flirt, and drive each other to the brink of insanity not to mention the sexual tension...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Sweet Torture 

Chapter One: An Accidental Meeting

The young man began tapping his sugar quill anxiously against the blank sheet of parchment. Running an agitated hand through his tousled ebony locks; he glared at Professor Binns, restless to leave the boring class.

The ghost professor slowly ended his lecture and dismissed the class before disappearing into the blackboard. "Finally," the restless teen exclaimed, his hazel eyes flashing in eager anticipation through his wire frame glasses as he threw his supplies haphazardly into his bag.

"What's the big rush, Prongs?" a handsome boy asked, lifting a dark eyebrow sardonically.

"I have a date," the hazel-eyed teen winked before rushing out the door.

"Mate, if that's what you call a date we need to have a serious talk," the man shouted at his friend's rapidly retreating back.

Clear green eyes focused on the Professor's written instructions hovering in front of the class. Flicking her rich, wavy, crimson locks off her stunning features she smiled contentedly upon hearing the Professor's stern dismissal of class. Neatly stacking her Arithmancy books into her bag she waved goodbye to some friends leaving the classroom.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lily Evans squared her shoulders stubbornly and forced her full lips into a thin line. Hoisting her heavy bag up, she stalked out the door, prepared to face the most annoying, bigheaded, jerk Hogwarts had ever seen, James Potter.

All thoughts of being prepared immediately dissipated at the sight of Potter casually lounging against a stone column adjacent to the classroom. Narrowing her blazing emerald eyes at his flirty grin, she ignored the rapid beating of her heart as he pushed his tall, Quidditch-toned body off the column and strolled towards her smaller frame. "Kept me waiting today, Evans," James offhandedly remarked, keeping a good distance from her, he knew all too well how violent she could get during their "dates."

"Contrary to your delusional beliefs Potter, your annoying presence plays no significant role in my life," Lily snapped back, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag.

"So, love, how were classes today?" he sweetly asked, daring to take one step closer to her livid frame.

"Potter," she slowly gritted out, her left eye twitching with every syllable, "call me by that endearment again and I will hex you so that you will never be able to procreate."

"Evans!" James reeled back, pretending to be shocked, yet getting the point, "You shouldn't toss those sort of threats to a bloke, who knows what our future will hold. I'd never want to disappoint you in the bedroom."

Letting out what could only be described as a soft growl that would have made Sirius proud, Lily shoved past James, aware of the small crowd of students who had gathered to watch their exchange.

James hid his imminent panic at her departure and did the one thing he knew best, he made a scene. "LILY EVANS, GO OUT WITH ME AND MAKE ME THE LUCKIEST BLOKE ALIVE!" he shouted so loud his proposal echoed down the corridor, up the grand staircase, and into the Headmaster's office where Albus Dumbledore smiled at the boy's ardent statement.

Lily felt her face burn a crimson hue as bright as her hair as Potter's exuberant proposal washed over her, traveled down the hallway before bouncing back to echo once more into her ringing ears. Spinning around to face her most ardent admirer, she dropped her school bag and stalked towards a cheekily grinning Potter. "You don't give up do you?" Lily shouted back in irritation, "No, Potter, I refuse to go out with you!"

"Give me one reason why not," James countered, eyeing the small space between them and enjoying their close proximity.

"Where should I begin… you're an annoying, egotistical, bullying, showoff who…" Lily exclaimed, causing some students watching the duo to smile in amusement.

"I recall saying one reason, Evans," James dryly responded, "can't Muggleborns count?"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" she demanded through clenched teeth.

"Take it at face value and don't be so touchy, Evans," he lightly quipped, affectionately tapping her scrunched up nose.

"Touchy?" she hissed.

"You are a bit over-sensitive dear," he murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Over-sensitive," she sputtered, "why you arrogant…"

"But it's adorable," he grinned.

"Spoiled."

"And witty."

"Conceited."

"Although you are a bit moody."

"Bullying."

"Must be the red hair."

They both trailed off, staring at each other before starting all over again. "Brown noser," he began, regarding her over his glasses with something more than amusement.

"Trouble-maker," she shouted.

"Priss," he smirked, taking a step closer so that their robes were nearly touching.

"Idiot," she glared, not noticing the lack of space.

"Bookworm," he taunted.

"Show-off," she growled.

"Studious," James smiled.

"Slacker," she grunted, shaking a finger at him accusingly.

"Intelligent," he murmured.

"Half-wit," she smirked.

"Friendly," James grinned, leaning closer to her smaller frame.

"Boisterous," she quipped, rising on her tiptoes to glare at his eye level.

"Absolutely flawless," he sighed, bringing a warm palm to brush a wild, crimson lock off her face.

"Persistent," Lily trailed off, gazing at his warm eyes with a strange expression, wondering when they had gotten so close.

James eyed her flushed face, bright eyes, and heaving chest with interest before letting out a pent up breath and murmuring, "Bloody hell, Evans, did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you're all riled up?"

And just like that the magical moment was gone. Lily was all too aware of the wide-eyed stares from onlookers and the compromising position she found herself in. Huffing in annoyance, Lily squirmed out of his taut embrace and gave him one last withering glare before retrieving her bag and briskly walking down the hall.

"See you tonight for Head duties, Evans!" James earnestly shouted to her retreating figure, grinning when she visibly tensed.

With a merry whistle, James shouldered his bag and sauntered down the hall with a slight hop in his step.

A short while later, James entered the Gryffindor common room with a silly grin plastered on his face as he comfortably settled into a plush armchair near his mates. A wiry, sandy-haired boy raised his sharp gaze from the text before him, noting James' besotted expression and ventured a guess. "I take it you just saw Lily."

At the mention of her name, James' grin became even wider and he nodded his head to affirm Remus' question.

"How was the date, Prongs?" Sirius drawled in a bored tone, lazily flicking Bertie Bott's beans at a blond, chubby boy before him.

Ignoring his best mate's taunting and Peter's pitiful plight, James leaned back into the comfortable chair and with a confident grin replied, "Best one yet."

A/N: I know, I know... a Harry Potter fic. But I couldn't resist, I love this couple! Enjoy the fic.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own… don't sue

Chapter Two: A Monthly Occurrence

Raising her chin stubbornly, she wordlessly pointed down the opposite corridor, refusing to give in to his puppy dog face. "But, Evans," the bespectacled boy moaned, "we're supposed to do Head duties together."

"Under normal circumstances, I would completely agree with you, Potter. But after that humiliating display after classes today, I need some alone time," Lily patiently explained as one would to a small child.

"But…" he began and stopped when she exaggeratingly motioned for him to go.

James sighed and glumly shuffled down the corridor away from his favorite redhead.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she lit her wand with a soft _Lumos_ and began her Head duties, diligently checking every closet, classroom, and corridor for any students out past curfew.

In past years, she fondly remembered stopping James and his other Marauders from committing some sort of heinous prank on the student body. However, ever since James landed the position of Head Boy, it became more difficult to catch him at his foolish pranks. A part of her wished to believe he had finally matured and stopped doing them. But he probably was using some sneaky method to hide his pranks from her.

Bitterly sighing that Potter once more consumed her thoughts, Lily trudged ahead with the intent to complete her rounds and head up to bed. As she was about to turn the corner to the last corridor on her rounds, a soft feminine moan halted Lily in her tracks.

Squaring her shoulders, she prepared to break up the snogging couple and quickly stepped around the corner and unknowingly into the shadow of a stone column. Lily's voiced protest died on her lips as she regarded the intimate couple with interest. Cocking her head to the side, she wondered why she was hesitating.

James muttered a quiet, "mischief managed," and watched as the moving names slowly disappeared from the faded parchment. Solo Head duties were always simple with the help of the Marauder's Map. He could stand in one spot and see if anyone was out breaking curfew and even if students were, he rarely busted them, unless they were Slytherin. Normally, he would just head down to the kitchens and grab a quick snack before bed, but tonight he made a detour to Lily's current location, for if he was not mistaken, she was about to bust a snogging couple.

James quietly approached the corridor, mildly surprised that instead of Lily's scolding, he heard the tell-tale sounds of an all out songfest. Rounding the corner, his eyes widened at the passionate couple's display and Lily's rigid form watching them. A devilish grin graced his lips and he snuck up behind his new beloved voyeur.

He heard Lily softly sigh and move to walk away from the couple. James acted instinctively; relying on his Quidditch-honed skills to quickly tug Lily into his arms and silence her shriek of protest with a firm hand over her soft lips. Drawing her struggling form closer, he leaned so that his front was intimately pressed against her backside.

Lily stopped struggling; she knew it was Potter. Only James Potter carried that all too familiar scent of pine and sugar quills. She felt his head lower and slightly jumped when she felt warm lips accidentally brush against her earlobe as he lowly whispered, "That could be us, Evans."

"Keep dreaming, Potter," Lily sweetly murmured, turning her head to bring her face a mere inch from James as he chuckled and dropped his hand to rest on her hips.

Smiling at her answer, he lowered his gaze briefly to caress her pink lips; his hazel orbs shining with a roguish tint. A low grunt and what can only be described as a pleasurable hiss distracted James, turning his gaze to the couple, quizzically wondering what exactly the girl did to render that type of reaction. "Are we going to stop them?" James questioned, returning his gaze to Lily.

"No," she decided firmly, gingerly testing his hold on her and found it to be as vise-like as ever.

"Why?" he murmured, lightly running his fingers over her hips unknowingly.

"We're on the brink of a war, Potter," she whispered, sinking into the strength of his hold, "we'll all need good memories to hold onto and cherish."

_Merlin I love this woman_, his thoughts sighed as he tightened his hold.

Lily regarded him strangely, wondering at his silence. "What, Potter, no wise remarks about us making some memories together?" she teased, somewhat shocked at her cheeky behavior.

"Not this time, Evans… unless you're offering," he grinned, spinning her around and pressing her against the cold column, his firm body covering hers in warmth.

Rolling her eyes at his playful manner, she rested her palms on his shoulders to push him away when the couple's sexy moans washed over them. "How about we give that couple a run for their money," James waggled his eyebrows at her, tugging her hands to wrap around his neck, slyly watching the couple from their advantageous position in the shadows before letting out a convincing groan that made Lily flush scarlet.

His eyes crinkled mischievously as the couple froze at the noise, warily looking down the hallway. Hiding his laughter, James quickly buried his face into the crook of her shoulder, breathing in the light floral scent she wore with a smile.

Lily froze at the feeling of his lips innocently resting against her neck. Now that James' untidy hair no longer blocked her view of the couple, she waited for their reaction; gulping as another hot tremor raced through her frame when James smiled against her skin. Her gaze widened in shock as the couple continued their antics only much louder and with pointed looks in their direction. Obviously they didn't see the two Heads and had started what looked like a snogging competition of who made the most noise.

Not willing to be outdone by a pair of sixth year Hufflepuffs, Lily bit her bottom lip in concentration and let out a satisfied, breathy moan into James' wild locks, clutching at his shoulders tightly for support as she arched her neck to add more volume.

James froze and instantly hardened, nervously gulping at a strange thought. Did Lily Evans just moan with such reckless abandonment in his arms? He slowly raised his head to gaze into her eyes with open admiration at her brilliant move against the other couple.

Lily met his gaze head on with a playful twinkle in her eyes. Motioning towards the other couple, she flashed him a brazen smile and lifted her chin defiantly as if proclaiming them the winner. Smirking at her pleased expression, James rolled his eyes when the snogging couple began rustling their clothing and making faster, high-pitched noises. Scoffing at their pig-like grunts and squeals, he gave Lily a look that seemed to ask, "Are you ready for this?"

Without so much of a blink of the eye, James grabbed Lily by the waist and effortlessly lifted her up against the column, pinning her there.

Lily let out a shriek of surprise at his seemingly unnatural strength. Resting her fingers on his taut biceps, she sent a thankful prayer to Quidditch practice, curling her fingers in appreciation around his arms. James stepped closer to her raised body, causing Lily to jolt when she felt his warm breath wash over her upper stomach, so close to her breasts she started squirming.

Wondering if she'd hex him for this next move, he slowly lowered her down, sliding her soft curves inch by tantalizing inch down his firm body. Lily's eyes widened when she felt her knee brush against his unmistakable hardness. Realizing that they were no longer playing, she briefly wondered if she should stop this before it went any further.

All thoughts fled her mind when James stopped moving and tentatively pulled so her center was pushed tightly against his stiffness. The effect was instantaneous as they both let out ragged groans. Lily felt her legs wrap around his lean hips to pull him closer to savor the contact.

James slowly inhaled, bracing his arms under her own as she raised trembling hands to brush curious fingers through those rebellious locks that taunted her. She unconsciously brought his head closer with her ministrations and shuddered when he placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the pulse point on her throat.

She felt her eyelids quiver at the sensation and let out another moan of pleasure, squeezing the inner muscles of her thighs around him to slowly thrust against him. James pushed into her more and languidly began to suck at the sensitive spot, occasionally nipping at the soft flesh.

Lily bit her lip and thrust against him once more, delighted when he returned the stroke, raising his head to gaze at her with lust filled eyes. Cursing the thickness of the school robes between them, Lily realized she didn't care about the other couple. She and James were going to win regardless, they had two years of built up sexual tension between them. Framing his angular face with tender palms, she lowered her lips to his, gazing into those hazel orbs adoringly.

She was quite shocked when James muttered a faint, "shite," millimeters from her lips and quickly lowered her to the floor, gently pushing her into the darkness of the shadows.

About to berate him for his callous behavior, she held her tongue upon spying the dark, evil eyes of Mrs. Norris at her feet. Cursing the damn cat for ruining an excellent moment, she raised trembling hands to her heated forehead upon the realization of how far she just went with Potter. Gulping at her wanton behavior, she doubted she could face him again without blushing.

"Hello, Filch," James called cheerfully, "fancy seeing you roaming the corridors."

"Potter, shouldn't you be making rounds with the Muggle-born, not lurking in the corridors?" Filch sneered at the taller boy.

"We were, but Miss Evans wasn't feeling well, so we stopped for a rest before heading back to our rooms," James supplied smoothly, running a hand through his messy locks.

Filch peered at him closely before shining his lantern onto to Lily's feverish-looking form. Mumbling something under his breath, the caretaker stalked off disappointed he couldn't give anyone detention.

James avoided looking at Lily, spying the couple trying to hide in the shadows. "Get back to your common room," James ordered and smirked as they scampered away.

Lily was regarding him closely, wondering what one says after sharing such an experience with one she's suppose to loathe. "Alright there, Evans?" he questioned with a wide grin, "I really need to get you into bed… you're looking rather hot and bothered."

"That was lame, Potter," she chided, breathing a sigh of relief that he breezily brushed aside any awkward tension between them, "even by your standards."

"Oh, Evans," James sighed dramatically, draping an arm around her shoulders, "what am I going to do with you?"

"Absolutely nothing," she stated firmly, stepping out of his embrace.

"Evans, you're not going to try and pretend that tonight never happened are you?" James softly asked, a thin veil of hurt clouding his gaze.

"No, James," she whispered, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips when he perked up at his name, "I won't forget tonight."

Grinning at the redhead beside him, the pair walked back to their rooms in silence, not noticing the consistent pattern of their hands brushing against each other as they matched each other's steady pace down the empty corridor.

A/N: Viola! Chapter 2! I love the Stats on this site, it shows the most amazing tidbits. Here's a prime example, chapter 1 received three LOVELY reviews (thank you all so much) and 96 hits... hmmm, who's not reviewing? Let me know what you all think and thanks for reading.


	3. An Unforgettable Vision

Disclaimer: Don't own… don't sue

Chapter Three: An Unforgettable Vision

Letting out a groan of annoyance at the persistent beam of sunlight focusing on his face at this ungodly hour of the morning, James lazily propped his lean frame up, relying on the strength of his forearms. Rubbing a warm hand over his pillow creased face; he ungracefully rolled out of his four-poster bed, tripping over random articles of clothing in his private Head Boy room as he stumbled towards the bathroom. Opening the door quickly in his earnest desire to take a shower, the vision before him stopped the young man in his tracks.

Raising his hazel eyes quickly towards the ceiling, he silently thanked the powers that be who decided Heads should share a bathroom. Muttering a faint curse under his breath for not having his glasses, James squinted to get a better view of Lily's barely covered form. His dark gaze slowly traveled up her long, pale legs, toned, curvy waist, and soft, round breasts covered by the shortest gold negligee he had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Letting out a slow wolf whistle, James finally raised his gaze to meet her heated glare. "Fancy meeting you here, Evans," James grinned as his gaze once more swept over her body.

Clenching her jaw in suppressed anger, she opened her mouth to shout at him but changed her mind, tugging her short nightwear farther down only to have it slink back up with a mind of its own. "Ever heard of knocking, Potter?" she coolly asked, turning away from him to reach for her toothbrush, vigorously scrubbing her pearly whites, praying to God that her blush would fade.

"Nice sleepwear," he smirked, stepping closer while clasping his hands behind his back, they were just itching to feel the smooth silk and soft flesh of the Head Girl.

"Thank you," Lily replied frostily, spitting out the toothpaste and gargling with a mouthwash.

Clenching her lids tightly, she tried to block out the image of Potter standing there in those maroon boxers which complimented his toned, tan body. His warm hazel eyes were clearly visible without the presence of his glasses, and that lovely tousled lop of black he had the nerve to ruffle and call his hair. Ignoring the fluttering sensations rocking through her body her emerald eyes opened to watch him closely.

"Evans," James choked out, his eyes widening slightly, "is that number you're wearing transparent?"

"Certainly not," she gurgled through her mouthwash.

"Bugger, that must be my imagination taking over what I can't see clearly," he cursed under his breath before a smirk blossomed on his tempting lips as he sweetly asked, "would you promise not to leave if I dash back for my glasses?"

Spitting out the mouthwash, Lily muttered a terse, "No," as she grabbed her face wash and smoothed the soap over her skin, scrubbing softly to remove what sleep induced grime her face collected overnight.

Politely asking him to leave, she tried the patient, mature stance for this embarrassing meeting. Taking his silence as an affirmation of his departure, she bent down to wash the soap off her face, barely hearing the sharp intake of breath over the running faucet.

Whipping around angrily, the water on her face flew off in random directions, splashing a few drops on James' stupefied expression. Licking his lips nervously, he gulped before tentatively asking, "You wear matching knickers?"

Letting out an enraged cry, screaming patience and maturity be damned, the livid redhead grabbed James by the scruff of his neck and unceremoniously threw him out of the bathroom. Fastening his sprawled figure with one last glare, she slammed the door and cringed at his request to hurry up for he needed to take a cold shower after that lovely display. Groaning in aggravation, Lily stomped to her room to get dressed and ready for classes. Though with the way her morning had begun, she had low expectations for the rest of the day.

"Unbelievable," Lily bitterly muttered under her breath, glaring at the boy beside her.

She didn't know who had it out for her, but why today, after that horrid display in the bathroom, did she get paired up with Potter in Transfiguration? Not that the Head Girl had any other choice. As soon as Professor McGonagall said, "Pairs," Potter seemed to materialize into the seat next to her with that stupid grin on his face.

Glaring at the lack of space between their seats, Lily moved her chair to closer to her corner of the table to put some room between them. James glanced at the increased space between them with a smile, scooting his chair closer to hers. And so the pair continued to move their chairs much to the class's amusement and Professor's frustration until they stopped with Lily pressed against the corner and James directly next to her.

Sighing at the pair's antics, Minerva McGonagall flicked her wand and their chairs moved back to their original positions. Giving them both a stern glare before beginning class.

Lily dutifully pulled out a piece of parchment and jotted neat, descriptive notes. Licking her quill thoughtfully, she paused over the particular wording of a definition when a messy scrawl magically appeared on her notes. Squinting at the indecipherable handwriting, she could barely make out the words, _I think I've changed my mind about becoming an Auror. _

Lifting a brow quizzically at the random statement, she stole a side-glance at Potter beside her to find he was diligently writing his notes. Shrugging the sentence off, she continued with her notes only to be interrupted once more with the messy scrawl, _I've decided to become a Seer._

Shaking her head in confusion, she stole glances at her classmates to find who had bewitched her parchment before she hesitantly writing back, 'Why?'

_I have the gift_, the scrawl answered.

'How do you know?' Lily's elegant writing asked, peering at Potter who was currently raising his hand to answer a question.

The instant reply to her question drew her gaze back to her notes. _My inner eye tells me you're wearing gold, lace knickers under your uniform_.

Forgetting where they were, Lily turned and roughly slapped Potter upside the back of his head. "Miss Evans!" McGonagall's shrill voice pierced through the silent class, "That was unnecessary violence. Ten points from Gryffindor for attacking a student and interrupting Mr. Potter's first voluntary participation all term."

Lily flushed a deep scarlet and stared dejectedly at her notes, silently cursing them for her bad luck. James' warm breath in her ear startled her from her reverie as he murmured, "Don't worry, love, I'll win those points back at our next Gryffindor match."

"Mr. Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for undoubtedly provoking Miss Evans for her actions," the Professor snapped, eying him with disapproval.

"Aw, Minny, don't be like that," James pouted, smirking when a hint of a smile graced her thin lips.

Relieved that the attention of the class was no longer focused on her, Lily pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and tasked herself to work. The appearance of Potter's messy scrawl caused her to huff in annoyance, _Go out with me,_ _Evans._

Ignoring him, she continued her notes around his sentence. _I can't stop thinking of you. You're always on my mind._

Glaring at his persistence, she drew a dark line through his sentence resuming her notes. _All day I've been picturing those long legs of yours…_

Lily paused in her notes, gulping in apprehension as she awaited his next words. _And the way they wrapped tightly around me during rounds last month._

A faint blush stained her cheeks as she was reminded of that night that seemed ages ago and yet still burned vivid images in her mind. _Merlin you tasted so sweet._

Lily dropped her quill at his last statement, picking it up with shaking hands. _You don't realize how much I want to continue where we left off_.

She felt James shift in his seat, pressing his leg onto hers. She could feel the heat radiating off his trousers, searing against her bare legs. Reaching down to tug her thick robes over her thighs, she struggled but could not get the material to serve as a buffer between her and Potter. A strong hand wrapped around her wrist, stilling her movements. She felt his lean fingers tuck her robe out of her grasp, reaching down to considerately cover her bare thigh. His warm digits seemed to brand her as they slowly trailed down to her inner thigh, tugging the robe into place.

At the sudden absence of his hand, Lily let out a pent up breath of air she didn't realize she had been holding and shivered as a wave of goose bumps spread over her body when her mind conjured other scenarios for why Potter's hand would be on her thigh.

Another sloppy sentence appeared on her parchment, drawing her bright gaze downwards, _Cold, Evans? Cause I can think of a few ways to warm you_.

The promise caused Lily to bite her lip at the thought as she locked gazes with the young man beside her. James gazed at her lovingly, raising his hand to rest lightly on top of hers as he whispered, "Go out with me, Evans?"

Lily gazed at him in wonder, her mouth slightly agape before a soft smile settled over her features. She opened her mouth to reply when reality came crashing down in the form of a very put out Transfiguration Professor. "Mr. Potter! Miss Evans! May I ask what has been so important that you've ignored my lecture and spent the entire time passing notes?" McGonagall shrieked in outrage.

The couple froze in horror, neither able to come up with a good excuse. "Have no fear, Professor, I'll get to the bottom of this unruly behavior," a deep voice shouted from behind the pair as Lily's parchment magically levitated and flew into the awaiting hands of Sirius Black.

Standing up to give the class of better view of his upcoming performance, the handsome student quickly skimmed her notes, lifting an eyebrow in astonishment at the pair. Clearing his throat, he began in a boisterous tone, "Go out with me, Evans."

The class erupted into laughter, they knew exactly where this conversation was going. "Yes, James, I'd love to!" Sirius continued in a high-pitched voice.

The laughter subsided as the class listened closely to figure out if this was real or not. "Care to meet me at our secret lover's spot so you can have your way with me, you randy woman you!" Sirius continued, mockingly ruffling his hair.

The class went into an uproar, James sat there grinning like a fool over all the attention, Lily turned a beet red at the false statement, McGonagall, however, was not amused and yelled for the class to quiet down and for Black to hand the parchment over. Yet the Professor was still ignored as Sirius continued, switching into his 'Lily voice,' "Why yes James, I promise to be gentle this time."

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Lily fumed, pointing her wand at Sirius and muttering a quick, _Silencio_.

Sirius continued his elaborate monologue, oblivious to his lack of voice. "Lily," James tutted, waving his wand at his best mate with a quick _Sonorus_, "don't be such a priss."

Sirius was in the middle of a sentence and grinned in his girl voice, "I know James, but Sirius is a much better kisser."

Groaning at the direction the class was heading, Lily flicked Potter on the shoulder and ordered, "Potter, control your friend!"

"Padfoot!" James shouted, grinning like a fool, "Cut the theatrics, my kisses are loads better than yours."

"Really, Prongs, I doubt that, I say we take a poll," Sirius smirked, gesturing to the beaming females around him.

"This foolish behavior will stop right here," McGonagall ordered and with a swish of her wand, the parchment floated to her rigid form.

James and Lily's eyes widened at the thought of McGonagall reading the private notes. Without thinking, they both flicked their wands simultaneously, causing the parchment to catch flame and turn to ash as it landed in the Professor's hand.

Dark eyes blazing behind her spectacles, McGonagall decreed a loud, "Detention!" at the pair.

Lily sank into her chair dejectedly, glaring at Potter. Her first detention ever and it had to occur while she held the title of Head Girl. Muttering under her breath about Potter being a stupid prat, she tuned out the rest of the Professor's scolding, frowning at the satisfying smile on Potter's lips. She recognized that smile all too well; Potter was up to something.

A/N: Tada! Chapter 3. Things are getting steamy... hmm, I wonder what will happen in detention. Oh wait, I already know! Let me know what you all thought of this chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews!


	4. The Greenhouse Effect

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Chapter Four: The Greenhouse Effect

Lily tapped her foot impatiently in the nearly deserted greenhouse, sending worried glances at the impatient Professor of Herbology. McGonagall had decided she didn't have enough work for the pair and assigned them to wash the greenhouse windows by hand. The new instructor, Professor Sprout, had already washed the outside panes of glass. It was up to Lily and her embarrassingly late slug of a partner to wash inside.

The creak of the door distracted Lily from her thoughts and all plans of berating Potter died on her lips. He had just come from Quidditch practice and had recently showered. His once unruly dark locks were wetly plastered down and still dripping water on his loose white shirt and dark trousers. He had obviously raced here as fast as he could. "Sorry I'm late, Professor," James apologized, faintly wondering why Lily wasn't yelling at him.

Skimming his gaze briefly over her beautiful figure, he was delightfully surprised to see she had discarded the school robe and tie for a skirt and blouse, rolling up the sleeves to combat against the sticky heat of the greenhouse.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," the Professor sighed, making her way to the door, "Miss Evans will fill you in on your assignment. Now if you can please give me your wand, I must go to a House meeting."

James felt defenseless without his wand and ruffled his wet hair thoughtfully as the Professor closed the door behind her and ambled back towards the castle. Turning to face Lily, he caught her eyeing his slightly damp shirt with… interest. Clearing his throat to get her attention, he grinned when a faint blush blossomed over her pale cheeks at the realization she had been caught staring. "Right then," Lily began, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, "let's get started."

After quickly explaining the punishment, the two grabbed the buckets of soapy water and sponges and immediately began working in a tense silence. James had no idea how much time they had spent scrubbing these bloody windows, but he was bored. Stealing a glance at Lily on the opposite side of the greenhouse, he bit back a groan when she stood on her toes to reach a particularly dirty spot high above her head, causing her skirt to rise dangerously high.

Lily could feel his gaze on her and with a toss of her hair decided that they needed a good row to get rid of all this unwanted tension. "Keep working, Potter," Lily snapped, giving him a haughty look, "it's your fault we're in this mess and I refuse to do all the work."

Narrowing his eyes at her insolent tone, James felt his lips curl into a sneer, "Oh get off your high and mighty horse, Evans. I don't see you working very hard over there."

Lily sighed in relief, this was their comfortable territory; finally she could face Potter like she used to… as enemies. Whirling around at him, green eyes flashing flames of fury, she retorted, "If you hadn't enchanted my notes we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"You should have just gotten a new piece of parchment," James offhandedly shrugged.

"Would that have stopped you?" she countered.

"No," he smirked, "really, Lily, what would you do with your life if I wasn't here to liven it up?"

"I'd be just fine," she quipped, sloshing her sponge in the water and returning to the dirty windows.

"I know you're a prude, Evans, but even you would get bored without me. Admit it, you find the attention flattering," James egged her on, knowing by now which buttons to press to really get under her skin.

"Flattering!" she screeched, jerking around to face him, clenching her fists so hard the sponge lost its water.

"Is there an echo in here?" he rolled his eyes, turning around to resume his work on the windows, smirking in satisfaction of a successfully riled up Evans.

Lily felt that all too familiar eye twitch start up again as she glared at his back. She might not be able to beat him verbally, but she was willing to do whatever it took to grab the upper hand.

James tensed up in apprehension when Evans made no biting comment to his jest. Something was up; she never backed down from a challenge. Drawing in a deep breath, he slowly craned his neck to see what she was up to when a large, wet sponge landed smack against his nose, lightly knocking his glasses askew.

Snorting in laughter, Lily chuckled in glee at his stunned expression. Lifting a finger to point, she mocked, "Take that you big-headed git."

Whipping off his glasses to wipe off his face with the hem of his shirt, he calmly replaced them and shot her a pissed off look. Placing a cocky grin on his face, he quickly picked up the bucket, tossing its contents towards Lily and effectively soaking her to the bone.

Gasping at the cold sensation, Lily glanced at her drenched form, her school blouse had turned transparent… lovely. "I see you changed out of the gold, love," James teased, eying her bra, "I've always been partial to pink lace."

Growling a low, "Prepare to pay, Potter," she grabbed her bucket, tossing the water, and missing him by a couple feet.

Letting out a groan of annoyance, she tensed in anger when he mocked, "With that kind of aim it's no wonder you're not on the Quidditch team. Would it have helped if I moved here?"

Stomping her foot in aggravation, Lily watched him advance forward a couple feet as he continued to mock her. Not hesitating, she chucked the empty bucket at him. James was clearly not expecting this move and was barely able to dive out of the way, bumping into a desk and teetering towards Lily. Holding his arms out in an effort to stop his momentum, he unceremoniously crashed into the surprised Head Girl, flattening her on a bed of vines. "Get off me, Potter," Lily fumed, pushing his shoulders in aggravation.

"I can't," James tried to explain, struggling to move but his legs were tangled in the intricate vines.

"What do you mean you can't?" Lily shrieked, eying the vines suspiciously.

Before James could answer, the vines sprung to life, threading a complicated vise around their bodies. "Potter, move before its…" Lily trailed off in horror as the vines stopped, efficiently pinning them both.

"What in Merlin's name is this?" James struggled against the vines, but they wouldn't budge.

"Devil's Snare in its earliest stages," Lily sighed bitterly, "it's not strong enough to strangle us, but the vines won't budge unless we have sunlight or our wands."

"We're stuck here?" James wondered out loud, glancing at their joined bodies, "In this position?"

Frowning at the gleeful grin that spread over his face, Lily eyed their situation warily. Potter was stretched on top of her, their hands were pinned to their sides, and faces were eerily close. So close, that she could count the number of gold flecks scattered through his hazel depths. Scared at the direction her thoughts were taking her, Lily began squirming to put more space between them mumbling, "You planned this from the beginning."

Scoffing at her, James murmured, "Evans, if I had planned this, I'd have you pinned on my bed, not some bleeding vines."

Glaring at his response, she continued to wiggle, hoping to put at least a few inches between them. Her wet clothes were not cooperating, sticking to her body in awkward places. She knew their close proximity was getting Potter's clothes wet, but he wasn't complaining.

Clenching his eyes painfully tight when her wet form wiggled against him once more, James tried to picture the most disturbing image he could, but every time he thought of something foul she started squirming again. "Merlin, Lily," James gritted, refusing to look into her lovely eyes, "I swear you love to torture me."

Lily immediately stopped wiggling as the full meaning of his words sunk in. Flushing a light pink, she eyed his clenched lids with a faint smile. As if he could sense her gaze, James opened his eyes, grinning when he caught her staring. His spectacles slowly began sliding down his nose, causing James to crane his neck to try and keep them balanced. "Evans, can you do me a favor and lift you chin up for a moment?" James asked hopefully.

Eying him strangely, she nodded, lifting her chin slightly. James bent his head and with the support of her chin, nudged his glasses back to their appointed space.

Lily held her breath all the while, his nose slid under the smooth skin of her chin, causing her lips to brush against his forehead. She felt a shudder run through her body as his breath washed over her neck. "Thanks," he whispered, slowly pulling back to gaze at her once more.

Lily felt her breaths become ragged as she tried to concentrate on anything but the attractive Head Boy on top of her. "Potter," Lily began, eying him coolly, "I think we need to try and move."

James raised his eyebrows quizzically, "But you said…"

"Ignore what I said," Lily snapped, "the books could be wrong."

"First, you second guess yourself, then you ignore the teachings of the book… Are you feeling well?" James asked suspiciously.

"Shut it, Potter," she fumed, "now I want you to grab my thighs."

James reeled his head back in shock. He probably would have fallen backwards if he wasn't braced by the vines. A slow leer spread over his lips as he smirked, "Are you always this demanding when the man's on top?"

"Not another word," Lily warned, eying him furiously, "I want you to grab my thighs and push upwards. I will grab hold of the vines to propel myself upwards."

"Lily…" James began, shaking his head in amusement, " this is never going to work."

"Just do it already," she ordered, taking a firm grip on the vines and trying to ignore the heated sensation enflaming her body when Potter tentatively touched her legs.

"On the count of three then," he sighed, experimentally tightening his hold on her.

"One," Lily began, glaring at a point over Potter's shoulder in determination.

"Two," he continued, taking the time to marvel at how smooth her skin felt.

"Three," they gritted and pushed with all their might.

Lily felt the vines move under her and briefly slacken. Letting out a whoop of joy, she pushed hard to escape only to have the vines constrict suddenly. Struggling against the tight hold, she glanced down and let out a groan. Although it had felt like they moved a few feet, in reality, it was just a few inches, leaving her palms innocently resting against Potter's shoulders and his face arched directly above her chest. Sighing in aggravation at this most uncomfortable position, she cursed the man on top of her as he began chuckling. "How does this position suit you, Evans?" James grinned, his chin hovering inches above her breasts.

"Don't you dare lower your head, Potter," Lily warned, glaring at him from her awkward angle.

Rolling his eyes at her remark, he cracked his neck to relieve the building pressure, idly wondering how long he could last.

Lily had no idea how much time had past, but Potter had yet to complain. Her emerald gaze avidly watched him struggle and ignored the way his warm breaths washed over her damp clothes.

His resistance was slowly weakening and a slight headache developed at his temples from the strain. He scrunched his brows together in concentration, replaying last match's Quidditch plays. Anything to keep his mind distracted from Lily's consuming gaze. So deep was his concentration that he early missed her soft voice murmur, "James, you can rest your head."

Raising his hazel orbs to stare at her quizzically, he paused wandering if this was some kind of test. The pain in his neck nullified any further thoughts as he tilted his head and gently rested it against her chest. The pair simultaneously let out a sigh of relief; it wasn't nearly as awkward as they thought. However, not even relief could over power James' need to smile at this most convenient position.

Lily felt his lips curl into a smile and chided, "No immature thoughts now, Potter."

James chuckled before replying, "I can assure you, Evans, my thoughts are nothing but mature."

Scowling at his response, she took another calming breath, freezing when she felt James chuckling. "What the hell is so funny?" she snapped, glaring at the top of his head.

Still struggling to conceal his laughter, James grinned, "Take another deep breath and watch me."

Regarding him suspiciously, she complied and the results made her gasp in horror. Every breath caused her chest to rise and fall, taking James' head along for the ride. Groaning in disbelief, she muttered, "Not another word, Potter."

James smiled in concession, closing his eyes to ignore the slight headache that pounded from his temples. He tried to match his breaths with hers and found to his amusement with their combined breaths he rose twice as high. Resisting the urge to burrow further into her soft curves he settled down.

For the last few minutes Lily had been gnawing her lip in worry. Potter hadn't made a sound and that worried her. Glancing down she took into account his closed eyes, steady breathing, and added weight; the git had fallen asleep. "Potter," she hissed, "I'm not a pillow."

Her voice barely registered through his sleep-induced mind. Grumbling, he murmured, "But none of my pillows have ever been this comfortable," and playfully nuzzled against her breasts.

Lily gasped and started hitting his shoulders with her hands, ignoring the vines encumbering presence and trying to buck him off her. Sadly, she didn't take into account where her struggles would throw him. Having no space to move, she succeeded in bouncing his head off her only to have it snap back seconds later. Instead of saving herself from the embarrassment, she caused it, as James' mouth accidentally brushed across her nipple through her wet clothes. James froze as his gaze locked onto the tempting lace. Needing to act fast before he did something Lily would undoubtedly regret, he grabbed a hold of the vines and gave a lurching pull. The vines seemed to give under his pressure and the pair returned to their original pinned position. "James," Lily grunted, painfully squirming under him, "you're quite heavy."

"Strange," he murmured, "you weren't complaining about my weight a few minutes ago."

Ignoring his comment, she hit the vines, muttering, "I'm squished, you gits."

Strangely the plant seemed to hear her and with a quick flick of its vines, had expertly flipped their positions. "Lily, I should have known you wanted to be on top," he chuckled.

Cursing Devil's Snare, she continued to ask the plant to let her go, but it seemed the vines weren't as compliant as before. Dragging her gaze away from the plant she was surprised to see James clenching his jaw and glaring at the ceiling. Idly wondering what had upset him so much, she was determined to figure it out. Potter's never grumpy or frustrated… he's James Potter. The smart, cocky, wealthy wizard who's loyal, kind to his friends, and the most persistent flirt ever. Gagging at the nostalgic turn had thoughts had taken, Lily focused on the issue at hand. "Could you believe the amount of homework McGonagall gave us?" she quipped, eying him in concern.

"What?" James blinked incredulously, "Where did that come from?"

"You seemed frustrated," Lily shrugged, awaiting his reaction.

"Evans, you have a tendency to do that to me. Now be quiet, you'll make me lose focus," he sighed, still not daring to meet her gaze.

By some miracle, James had managed to control any noticeable urges; but a bloke can only take so much. "Focus on what?" Lily pestered, wondering why he was being short with her.

"Anything but my mind's randy thoughts of why you're straddling me," he bluntly smirked.

"Honestly, James, I'm trying to have a serious discussion here with you and like always, you turn it into something sexual," she huffed, glaring down at the hazel orbs that finally met her own.

"That's because every time I say something else you brush me off," he admitted, unconsciously leaning towards her, "I'm beginning to think that you're only interested in my body."

"That's not true," Lily murmured, daringly brushing her nose against his, "you interest me more than sexually."

Gaping at her, a large smile pulled at his lips. James playfully nudged her nose back, his gaze flickering to her soft, pink lips. Tilting his neck, his smiling lips hovering under her and… "What in Merlin's name happened here?" Professor Sprout screeched, eying the dirty, soap water splattered throughout her greenhouse.

James whipped his head back and cursed, wondering if he was going to have permanent neck damage from this detention. "Professor, can you lend us a hand?" Lily meekly asked, "We accidentally fell in Devil's Snare."

"Goodness!" the Professor shrieked and with a quick flick of her wand, the vines fell harmlessly off of the pair.

Lily immediately hopped to her feet and offered a hand to assist Potter. "Professor, we can explain," James grinned confidently, refusing to let go of Lily's hand.

"That's quite alright, Mister Potter, I have eyes, you may both leave," she curtly responded, handing over their wands and shoving them out the door so she could properly clean the greenhouse.

The pair quietly trudged up the moonlit path to the castle. James kept a tight hold on Lily's hand and she gave little resistance. "Ready to go out with me, Evans?" James glanced at her, tugging her form closer to his as they neared the castle.

"No," Lily responded automatically, immediately regretting her hasty answer, "not yet."

"Sounds promising," James murmured, "I won't give up on you."

"I know, James," she smiled, moving closer to him, "I know."

A/N: Thank you so much to my wonderful beta, Holly, and to my lovely reviewers. This month has been pretty cumbersome with vacations… Sorry for the delay, thanks for understanding. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	5. Muggle Fun

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Chapter Five: Muggle Fun

"Moony," James grinned, loosening his tie, and ruffling his hair in front of the mirror, "today is my day."

"Whatever you say, Prongs," Remus automatically responded, his gaze never wavering from the pages of his book.

"It's a foolproof plan!" he exclaimed before asking, "How did you convince Evans?"

"I smiled, asked her politely, and never once mentioned your name," Remus sighed, closing the book and placing it on the table beside his bed.

"Oi, Prongs, get out of my mirror," Sirius shoved James and checked his appearance whistling, "am I sexy or what?"

"Very sexy," Peter squeaked from across the room.

"All girls, with the exception of Evans, will fall to their knees and worship you," James dutifully repeated Sirius' confidence booster.

Sighing in annoyance, Sirius tapped his foot impatiently, throwing pointed looks at Remus. Remus could feel his gaze on him and with a roll of his eyes he snapped, "Oh, you look fine already! Go before you're late! And make lots of money!"

With a confident smirk plastered on his charming face, Sirius strutted out of the room. "Moony, how do I look?" James cooed, batting his lashes.

Glaring at him in silence, Remus tugged on his robe and motioned for their group to leave. "You want to be first in line don't you?" he ribbed James.

Eagerly nodding his head, James hurried down to the event outside.

"Why did I agree to this?" Lily muttered in disbelief, eying her name on the booth before her, "I never thought Remus had it in him."

The beautiful redhead stared at the large, boisterous font proclaiming KISSING BOOTH with drooped shoulders. Sighing in aggravation, she sank into her seat, eying the growing line before her in apprehension. Her bright gaze traveled over the school grounds, surveying the results with satisfaction. Lily had to admit, the class's hard work had paid off.

Two months ago, the Professor of Muggle Studies issued a final exam that would be based off of a Muggle custom and could turn a profit. It had been Dumbledore's suggestion to donate the funds to St. Mungo's for the aid of those injured in the fight against Lord Voldemort. The class agreed and decided that the age-old tradition of a Muggle fair would turn the best profit. Students weren't allowed to use magic in the design or construction of the fair and were required to either participate or recruit others for the booths. And that was how Lily was suckered into helping Remus for his project.

Shooting a look of disdain at her handsome booth partner, Lily settled more firmly into her seat and prepared for the longest three hours of her life. "Care to make a bet on who makes the most money?" Sirius drawled, draping his arm over the back of her chair; winking at the line of girls before him.

"No, Sirius, I refuse to bet on this event," Lily mumbled, shrugging out of his embrace.

"I was a bit surprised to hear you'd be running this booth with me. You seemed too much of a prude to go around kissing random guys," Sirius shrugged, waving playfully at the growing line before him.

It was a well-known fact that Sirius Black had immediately agreed to run the kissing booth at the fair. In fact, he had begged Remus for the job. He was completely willing to do his part for the war effort, no matter how many young witches he had to kiss.

"Just because I refuse to kiss Potter doesn't mean I'm a prude. I've snogged my fair share of men, but I value my privacy and don't flaunt my conquests for the whole school to see," Lily huffed, crossing her arms in defiance.

"I believe you, Lily," Sirius winked, his gaze roaming over her figure, "a witch as pretty as you should be snogged constantly. Just don't let James know, he can get a tad jealous."

"I'm not with Potter and would appreciate if people didn't lump us together," she gritted, eying her line of kissable wizards with feigned interest.

Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to find some other guy to occupy her mind. A few great kisses and she'd be saying Potter who?

"Lily," Sirius responded solemnly, "you know as well as I do that you two will get together eventually."

Lily chose not to retort, her mind whirling with the giddy sensation of her and Potter together. She was still kicking herself for not agreeing to go out after their greenhouse detention a few weeks ago. The only reason she hadn't jumped James yet was because of her stupid pride. She knew everyone expected her them to be together, which was why she fought it so hard. Sighing at the complications in her last year at school, she pasted on a cheerful smile and beckoned for the first boy to step forward.

"I see her booth," Peter shouted, drawing James' hazel eyes to the growing line of wizards before his favorite redhead.

"What are all these blokes doing here?" James sputtered, his perfect day slowly going down the drain.

"Surely you took this into consideration before you asked me to swindle Lily into working the kissing booth," Remus rolled his eyes, glancing at his besotted friend, "she's required to kiss strangers all day."

James clenched his jaw painfully, his hands diving into his robes, searching for something. "Of course I took it all into consideration," he seethed, withdrawing a scroll of parchment from his pocket, "I just hoped they'd all be too scared to approach her so I didn't have to resort to this measure."

With an overly dramatic sigh, James snapped the scroll open and marched determinedly through the line of boys, causing them to scatter in his wake. "A little over eager there, Prongs?" Sirius barked with his loud laughter, drawing more attention to the determined wizard.

"Really, Potter, wait your turn," Lily scolded, fighting the rosy blush quickly spreading over her as he stopped in front of her.

James winked at her before turning around to face the line of males, "Listen up," he ordered with his Quidditch captain confidence, "since this is a charity event, we've decided to filter some of your kissing options to preserve the dignity of Miss Evans. Under no circumstances are you to kiss her lips. You are restricted to her face, the exception being her hands. If any of you try to breach this contract be prepared for the consequences."

"Potter," Lily growled, all thoughts of wonderful kisses fleeing her mind, "under whose authority?"

"The Marauders," James grinned, slightly wincing at a persistent cough behind him and quickly revised, "the Marauders minus Moony."

"No one's going to listen to you, Potter." Lily spat, "Are you boys?"

She motioned for the support of the wizards in line. A loud chorus of catcalls and "Bugger off James," flew from the group. "I think the only rule I'm prepared to follow is to kiss every wizard except the Marauders minus Remus," Lily exclaimed, smirking at James confidently.

"Ah, Lily," he cooed, "I was planning on you to say that. So I designed something to get the point across."

Enchanting the scroll in his hands, he cast a wordless spell, causing the parchment to fly over to the stand, attaching to Lily's side of the booth with a squelching smack. Gaping at him, she ignored the muffled laughter of the crowd and craned her neck to read the parchment.

_Warning:_

_J. Potter's Private Property_

_Go for her lips and suffer painful hexes_

_Courtesy of the Marauders (minus Messr. Moony)_

A large moving photo of James frowning and shaking his wand threateningly at the boys in line sent the nearby crowd into hysterics. "Potter, I am not your property!" Lily screeched, whirling a hex at him that he barely dodged.

The jinx hit a young second year in line, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Lily gushed as the boy stumbled out of line with Elephant ears.

"Nice aim, Evans," James teased, leaning over the counter to gaze into her eyes, "I'm waiting for my kiss."

James puckered his lips dramatically and leaned closer. "Read your own damn rules," Lily snapped, pointing to the cursed parchment, "no kissing on the lips."

"Love, you didn't read the fine print," he murmured, pointing to a barely distinguishable catch in miniscule print that exempted J. Potter.

Growling in frustration, she ignored the money he placed on the table, turning away from him. "You're an arrogant prick, Potter," she seethed.

"An honorable quality in a wizard," he grinned, tilting her face as he focused on her lips.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall shrieked, stomping towards the pair, "the Hufflepuffs' stand is malfunctioning; it's been jinxed. Professors aren't allowed to interfere with the final exam. As Head Boy you are in charge to make sure the stands are running smoothly."

"I'll be right there," he promised, leaning in towards Lily, her lips were so damn close.

"Now, Potter!" she ordered, grabbing him by the scruff of his robes and dragging him away from the kissing booth.

Lily smugly smiled as she watched him leave, waving mockingly. "Alright boys," Lily winked, beckoning the boys forward with a confident smile, "ignore the rules and step right up for the best damn kiss of your life. All proceeds go to charity!"

Smiling encouragingly at the attractive seventh year Ravenclaw, Lily realized she wouldn't mind kissing some of these blokes. The young man grinned nervously at her, glancing around to make sure Potter wasn't in sight before donating a few coins and leaning towards her lips. She felt his cool breath wash over hers and leaned up so their noses were barely touching. She felt a brief pressure on her lips and was about to deepen the timid kiss with some added technique of her own when an anguished cry of pain issued from her partner's lips. Reeling back in shock from her customer, Lily's gaze widened in horror at the sight before her. The boy's face had broken out in huge boils causing him to collapse in pain; a few fellow Ravenclaws rushed forward to escort their friend to the hospital wing.

Whirling around to look for James, she found he was nowhere in sight. A slight movement to her right directed her gaze to Sirius slyly sliding his wand back into his pocket as he simultaneously snogged the girl in line. "Sirius," Lily hissed, snatching the wand from his pocket, "you prat!"

He didn't acknowledge her insult or seem to mind that he no longer had a wand. The only hint that he heard was the briefest smirk as he continued to service the witch.

Growling in frustration, she found that the damage was already done as wizard after wizard hesitantly kissed her hand in fear if getting hexed. A full two hours passed and although she made plenty of money for charity, she felt like she was cheating wizards out of their money. Bitterly sighing, she glared at Sirius, noting the besotted expressions on witches in his line; many had returned for seconds. Ironically, she had made more money than the Marauder; of course he spent minutes kissing his customers while she was lucky if her customers' chaste kisses reached five seconds.

Shockingly enough, even though her lips were off limits huge crowds of wizards had flocked to kiss whatever they could. Lily Evans was considered the untouchable beauty of Hogwarts. Not only was she smart and witty, but also extremely confident. There was also the small fact that anytime a wizard dared approach her, he found himself the brunt of the Marauders' pranks. It was safe to say that few had managed to seduce Lily and be successful.

Eying the large pile of coins in her jar, she barely noticed Remus' silent presence leaning against her booth. "Your shift is almost done," he stated solemnly, "you have less than an hour."

"Thank goodness," she murmured, holding her hand out for the next wizard.

"I'm sorry I tricked you into helping," Remus blurted, clenching his hands nervously.

"Don't worry about it," Lily shrugged, motioning to the jar of coins and long line, "it hasn't been that bad and I helped raise a lot of money."

"But you're not having any fun," he sighed, "I tried to reason with James."

"We both know that reason and James never go in the same sentence. And although I'm not having that type of fun," she smirked, motioning to Sirius' exuberant snogging, "I will admit that it's rather amusing to see how far Potter's jealously will take him and the way the school accommodates him."

Remus chuckled and nodded in agreement, "I admit it still surprises me how much he can get away with."

"That's why some types of disappointments and rejections can be good," Lily admitted, refusing to meet Remus' penetrating gaze.

"He has changed, Lily," he murmured, "you're not some challenge or passing fancy."

"I realize that," she frowned at his tone.

"Then why don't you give him a chance?" he asked, holding up the line patiently.

"Because I'm afraid," she mumbled, "I feel like a different person when I'm around James and that frightens me. I've come to savor our flirty bickering because that's how it's always been."

"He changed for you Lily," Remus replied, "don't you think it's only fair for you to change for him as well?"

Gaping at the Marauder in wonder and with a newfound respect she squeezed his hand gratefully. Remus was right, she should put more effort into their bizarre relationship. James had been more than patient and extremely mature recently. In fact… "Oi, Moony, get your hand off of my property. If you're not a paying customer, leave!" James shouted from the back of the line.

And just like that, all previous thoughts of his maturity evaporated from her mind. Remus chuckled in disbelief at Lily's once more hardened expression before muttering, "This conversation would have made a much more lasting impression if he had kept his big mouth shut."

With one last comforting squeeze of her hand, Remus stepped aside without a fuss. Lily felt Potter's stare from behind the long line of wizards. His presence had put her customers on edge, as they rushed past her, dropping money and barely kissing her palm. Some younger boys didn't even try to kiss her and just left money. Sooner than she would have expected Potter stood not so patiently behind three wizards, grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Lily felt her heartbeat race, as his presence seemed to disorient her. For Potter meant a kiss… on the lips.

It was sad how long Lily had to think about her last kiss. He was at her parents' Christmas party… hmm, that's all she remembered; there was a lot of alcohol involved that night. Disregarding the almost kiss in the greenhouse, she feverishly prayed that she didn't seem too eager to kiss him.

James tried his hardest to contain his excitement, but it was to no avail. He was so close, one more wizard stood between him and Evans. After so many years of planning and dreaming it was finally coming together. All couples got together after they shared a perfect kiss, it was written in the stars or some type of stupid shite like that.

His plan had gone smoothly, except for McGonagall's interference that pushed him two hours back. But no one had touched his Lily's lips, except that Ravenclaw dolt who obviously couldn't read. His grin stretched even wider when Lily boldly met his gaze as a timid third year kissed her palm. "Potter," a stern hand clasped on to his shoulder, "there's trouble at the pie eating contest."

James wheeled around to face McGonagall's rigid form. "Well, it can bloody well wait!" he exclaimed.

"Mr. Potter, this needs your immediate attention. The pies are eating the contestants," she screeched, her dark eyes narrowing at his insubordination.

Sending one last longing look at Lily, he muttered, "Un-fucking-believable," before stalking off to the pie booth.

Lily solemnly watched him go, smirking when Sirius barked, "Bad luck, Prongs!"

Her final hour slowly ticked by and the wizards seemed to be getting younger and younger. She fell into a type of stupor, rarely acknowledging her customers and offering her hand with a vapid smile. Only when Sirius announced in a loud voice that his booth was closed did Lily snap back to attention.

Ignoring the female sobs of protest, Sirius shrugged at them, picking up his jar of donations before clapping Remus on the back and leading him towards Lily's booth to wait in line. Deciding that she might as well leave too, she gathered up her jar when Peter's shy voice asked, "Please don't close up yet, you still have customers."

Glancing up, she realized that she did still have at least two worthwhile customers, looking behind Peter to find Remus and Sirius beaming; finally, wizards of her own age. Giving them a cheerful smile, she winked and felt a bit of her old fire creep back into her. "I'm not one to deny three good-looking gents their pleasure," she laughed.

"Four!" a rich voice shouted from afar; James Potter was sprinting towards her, sidestepping booths and leaping over obstacles in his path to reach her before her shift ended.

Attempting to conceal her excitement at Potter's exuberant persistence, she patiently awaited Peter's kiss. The young man hesitantly pressed a wet kiss over her knuckles, his pudgy hands sliding coins into hers. Hiding her grimace, she resisted the temptation to wipe her hand and with a happy, "Cheers," deposited the money in the jar.

Remus slowly ambled towards her, pressing a galleon into her upturned palm. He kindly smoothed a strand of hair off of her face before placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Blushing under her genuine smile, he shuffled away from the booth, running a hand nervously over the back of his neck.

Lily raised her brow at Sirius' approaching swagger and teased, "Didn't you get enough kisses today?"

"What can I say," he shrugged, eying her seductively, "I'm insatiable."

Rolling her eyes at his flirty manner, she gulped when he braced his forearms on her booth, entrapping her in his stare. "You must understand, Lily," he drawled, "a bloke doesn't get this type of opportunity everyday."

He gently lifted her palm, idly tracing his lean fingers over the planes of her hand, causing a slight shudder to run through her frame. Leaning down to teasingly let his lips rest over her palm he murmured, "Prongs is going to kill me," so softly Lily bent to hear him more clearly as he smirked, "but it will be worth it."

Before she could question him, he swooped up to brazenly kiss her soft lips. Ignoring the growl of fury behind him, Sirius angled his head to deepen the kiss, sending hot flames coursing from her searing lips all the way to her curled toes. She felt him suddenly freeze his ministrations and wordlessly topple to the ground.

James unclenched his jaw, silently pocketing his wand and ruffling his hair angrily. He stepped over Sirius' stunned form, cursing the laughter shining in his friend's eyes. Reaching down to pry the money from Sirius' tight hold, he added extra weight to his next step onto Sirius' stomach and over his body to stand tensely in front of Lily's; tossing Sirius' fee onto the table. Pausing, as if expecting McGonagall's shrill voice to take him away from the booth once more, he noticed the frown on her lips and the scolding light in her bright gaze. A hot flash of anger rushed through his frame at her stern expression and he muttered, "No bloody way are we going to row again."

He slammed a hand full of coins and they jingled teasingly as if to mock the many times he didn't get to kiss her today. Raising his dark gaze to her own, he frowned when she opened her mouth, no doubt to nag about something he had done. This kiss was supposed to be mind shattering and perfect. It was supposed to express his love and undying devotion. Bugger, it was supposed to convince her that they belonged together.

But after today he was just so damn angry he couldn't think straight, which meant his kisses would undoubtedly be shite. And now she was going to scold him. Murmuring a low, "Fuck it," James hooked a hand behind her neck and pulled Lily roughly towards him.

He paused so that their gazes met, noses brushed, and breath combined. Giving her no time to question him, he seized her lips softly. Gently cradling her head, he deepened the kiss, lovingly tending to her lips. James felt his heartbeat stop for the briefest moment when she decided to kiss him back. Encouraged by her responses, he raised his other hand to cup the side of her cheek, running his fingers ardently over her smooth flesh. Adding more pressure to the kiss, he nipped at her lips, causing her to softly gasp. Briefly flicking his tongue against the roof of her mouth, he quickly brushed against her own.

Lily let out a nearly inaudible groan and ran her fingers through his rebellious locks, grasping them tightly and jerking him closer, slightly knocking his spectacles askew. He tasted warm and sweet and she couldn't seem to get enough.

James gave her one last searing kiss before breaking away, eying her swollen lips in triumph. He ran a shaky hand through her locks, grinning when he felt her tighten her grasp on him. With more strength than he knew he possessed at this moment, he gently withdrew from her hold, firmly tucking her hand in his own as he led her out of the booth. Wordlessly, he carried her donation jar for her and proceeded to escort her around the fair.

It barely registered to the couple Remus' deep voice murmuring the counter jinx for Sirius or the numerous catcalls the majority of the class had made while they kissed. James solemnly swore not to bugger up this moment and kept his mouth firmly set into his cocky smirk. Lily had never felt more alive in her life and realized that if James asked her out right now, she wouldn't say no. But James Potter did not ask her out that day or the next… and Lily panicked.

A/N: Haha, I couldn't resist ending on that note. But don't worry; this isn't THE end. I love this chapter; it never fails to make me giggle. I think I focused more on the Marauders and added more depth to their characters in the story. Good idea or bad idea? Thanks to my beta, Holly, and of course, all of you lovely reviewers! Please continue to review. It's a great motivation.


	6. The Sweet Taste of Victory

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Chapter 6: Sweet taste of Victory

Her bright gaze watered as she took another shot of Firewhiskey, laughing at a friend's joke with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her eyes had been solely fixed on him the entire evening. Looking so damn smug and cocky surrounded by his fans. So what if he single-handedly won the game by scoring so many goals it didn't matter when Ravenclaw's Seeker caught the Snitch; winning Gryffindor the Quidditch cup for the fourth year in a row? That's not a good enough reason to worship the bloody ground he walked on, like those slags surrounding him did.

Ignoring the rush of anger and betrayal she felt every time she looked at him, Lily took another shot of Firewhiskey. It was her plan to get properly smashed at the party and not remember any of it. So if James hooked up with a girl or two, or even all of the slags in Hogwarts, she wouldn't remember.

Muttering a foul curse under her breath, she left her circle of friends to make a beeline towards the drinks, breezing past James and his fan club with her head held high. It had been two weeks since the fair. Fourteen fucking days since they shared that amazing kiss, only to be brushed off and ignored. Three hundred and thirty-six hours since her original fears were confirmed and he really was just playing with her.

Angrily sloshing some of the spiked punch into her cup, Lily laughed bitterly at herself for ever believing James' persistence meant something more. Unfortunately, it was too late for her; she had already fallen in love with him. She lifted the cup to drown her sorrows when a cool palm cupped the top of the lid. "Go easy on that stuff, Evans," Sirius chided, taking the cup from her, "you're scaring the piss out of Prongs."

"Oh, so he's noticing me now," she sneered, wrenching the cup away and downing it.

"He's always noticing you, he can't help it," Sirius shrugged, drinking from his own cup with gusto.

James' rich laughter cut across the common room, causing the pair to glance his way. Lily's eyes narrowed when James playfully nudged the twit at his side, scathingly snorting, "I can see I'm the top of his priorities."

"You really are," Sirius comforted, wrapping his arm around her in a friendly hug. "Besides, he's merely following the advice of a friend."

"What idiot told James to ignore me?" she asked incredulously, a frown marring her pink lips.

"Me," Remus sighed, hesitantly pausing at her side.

"Why?" she whirled on him, glaring daggers at who she had previously viewed as the smart one.

"It seemed like he was smothering you. A little space would give you both time to think and realize that you were perfect for each other," he gulped, eying her livid visage with worry.

"The only fault to your theory was I fell in love with James two weeks ago at the fair and every day since then has been torture," Lily admitted, happy to get the burdensome confession off her chest.

The boys gawked at her, slowly blinking in shock. Who would have thought uptight, perfect Lily Evans would spill her secrets to her crush's best mates? "Does James love me?" she whispered, refusing to meet their stares.

"Since the end of fifth year," they replied simultaneously.

A look of guilt swept over her features in realization. These last two weeks had been excruciating for her, and James had felt this way for the past two years. The feeling of guilt soon washed away to a warm, heady sensation. The pain wouldn't last much longer, she would make sure of it.

Smiling absently at one of his fan's comments, James languidly swirled his drink in boredom. He would be lying if he said the rush after the big win meant nothing to him; it was bloody fantastic. It took him hours to wipe the beaming grin from his lips. He was congratulated by his best mates, adored by his worshipping fans, and applauded by all except one. Remus' master plan was killing him and he wasn't too sure of the results. He had been so close at the fair and this "loving ignorance" seemed to be having the opposite effect. Lily had been glaring at him all evening and had knocked back too many drinks. Not that he had a chance on to check on her, every step he took he was swarmed by females too ignorant to realize his disinterest.

His hazel gaze searched for relief from his mate, Sirius, but found to his chagrin that the git had joined Lily on the other side of the room. Scowling, he wished he could swap places with him and nearly chocked on his drink when Remus joined them. Wallowing in his feeling of abandonment, he looked for solace in Wormtail, only to spy his stout figure passed out in the corner.

Racking his brain for the quickest way out of his dull conversational group, he felt someone's stare. Slowly turning to catch the gazer in the act, his bespectacled stare met her steady green gaze. Surprised that Lily was no longer glaring at him, he nervously gulped when a soft, beguiling smile formed on her lips. Her lashed gaze seemed to light with a predatory gleam as she whispered something in Sirius' ear, causing his handsome friend to throw his head back in a throaty laugh. Running an agitated hand through his tousled locks, he clenched his jaw anxiously when Sirius' grey gaze slid to him as Lily nodded towards him. Hell, even Remus looked amused at something… the bastard.

Quicker than he would have expected Lily's bright gaze rested on him once more. He watched her eyes make a slow sweep over his body, winking at him when she connected with his stare. His mouth went dry when she teasingly cocked a finger, beckoning him to come closer.

Wordlessly, James brushed through the crowd of female fans, ignorant of how he had moved until he suddenly reached her side. He gazed at her in silence, afraid if he tried to speak his words would slur together in an unintelligible jumble. "James," her soft voice purred, a tint of Firewhiskey laced through her sweet breath, "ask me a question."

Her lithe form began to slowly circle him, giving James the perfect view of her toned body in tight trousers and a curve-hugging blouse. "Err," he stuttered, his brain too hazy with surprise and alcohol to view this conversation as more than a dream.

Clucking at him with her tongue, she briefly brushed against his arm, murmuring, "Come now, James, ask me _the question_."

He felt a rush of color flood his face as his mind went blank, he could barely hear his friends chuckling. Awkwardly grinning, he stammered, "Did you see the match today?"

Sirius and Remus groaned in dismay; leave it to James to miss such a golden opportunity. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she squinted to get a clearer view, realizing that she would never be so bold if not for the Firewhiskey. "Yes, James," she sighed, slurring his name, "you did a magnificent job. But isn't there another type of question you'd like to ask me?"

James raised bewildered eyes to glance at Remus for a clue, but could not make out what he was trying to mouth. "Potter," Lily gritted, tilting his head down to meet her gaze, "what do you want to ask me?"

Gulping at the use of his surname, he knew he was in trouble now. It was amazing how serene 'James' sounded and how harsh 'Potter' grated on his ears. Timidly chuckling, he asked, "How are you?"

Sighing in disbelief, Lily threw her hands up in exasperation. Remus covered his face in shame, while Sirius held a clenched fist to his mouth to prevent from laughing at his friend's poor performance. "I think I feel a headache coming on," Lily muttered, holding a slim hand to her forehead.

James let out a nervous sigh and began chewing the inside of his lip with worry. Ignoring Lily for two straight weeks seemed to have ruined his social skills. He didn't know how to act around her. Should he be funny? Witty? Casual? Loving? What happened to the calm, funny, suave James Potter? He fell in love with a redhead. And followed some bad advice. And was currently standing in front of his love with his mouth agape and stuttering… bugger.

"James, listen carefully," Lily slowly spoke, her sarcasm ruined with a loud hiccup. "What have you been doing to me for the past couple years?"

"Admiring you from afar," he joked, frequently running his hand through his hair.

"This is ridiculous," she hissed, glaring at Remus and Sirius, silently blaming them for the idiocy of their friend, "I'm going to bed."

James slowly blinked as she stalked past, stiffening when he felt her pause just behind him. He barely heard a timid, "Care to walk me back?" and raised wide eyes to his friends who were silently mouthing, "Yes," and energetically motioning to the departing redhead.

"Yes," James murmured, giving his friends a shaky smile before turning and leading Lily out of the room.

"Bloody hell, that was like pulling teeth," Sirius moaned in aggravation, "stupid, dense, prat."

"Do you feel guilty about lying?" Remus asked, his unwavering gaze watching the couple disappear through the portrait hole.

"No," Sirius quipped immediately, "he has been in love with her for that long, he just didn't share that with us."

Nodding in agreement, Remus reached for a drink, downing it and vowing, "Let's never try matchmaking again."

"Why not?" Sirius grinned, "It was fun."

"Who should we help next then? Wormtail?" Remus drawled, reaching for a refill.

"Not bloody likely," Sirius scoffed, "you'd be my next victim, Moony."

"Heaven forbid you actually settle down," Remus dryly responded, taking a slow sip of his drink.

"I'm serious," he smirked, laughing when Remus winced at the horrible pun, "I picture a wild, younger, energetic bird for you."

Snorting into his cup, the sandy-haired youth downed his drink and left his foolishly grinning mate, desperate to get away from his delusional visions.

Lily tried to remember to breathe when he placed his cool palm on the small of back, guiding her to the Headrooms. She let out an involuntary shiver at his touch. "Cold?" James murmured, sweeping his hand up and down her back.

"No," she sighed, stepping closer into his embrace.

Chuckling, he softly asked, "How much did you drink?"

"Enough," she smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

Her light touch stopped him in his tracks outside the statue that opened to their rooms. "James," she purred, toying with the buttons on his shirt, "the way I see it, you have two choices. Go back to your fans at the party or turn in with me."

Before she finished her offer, Lily found herself pulled into his arms and soundly kissed. Moaning in approval, she ran her fingers through his hair, teasingly nipping at his lips. "I thought you were mad at me," he murmured against her lips.

"I was," she moaned, her hand reaching back to blindly search for the secret knob that led to their dorms.

"These past two weeks have been awful," he sighed, delving into her mouth, savoring her sweet taste.

Groaning in agreement, she boldly flicked her tongue playfully against his, pulling back with an impish chuckle when he tried to deepen the kiss.

Grunting in protest, James guided her against the phoenix statue at her back, pressing against her. She laughed as she dodged his approaching lips, a challenging glint flashing through her foggy gaze. Jutting out his lower lip in a pout, he faked a snog to his left to swoop in on the right; only she anticipated his move and escaped his lips clutches once more.

"Evans," he growled, cupping her chin and brazenly seizing her lips.

James felt her lean towards him, eagerly opening her mouth for him to explore. Grasping her hair, he tugged her closer, enveloping her lips roughly.

Moaning in appreciation, Lily grabbed his rear, pulling him flush against her trembling form. A shaky groan escaped his lips at the touch of those perfect hands. Pulling back in shock, James couldn't avoid Lily's attempt to seize his lips, which unfortunately knocked his spectacles off.

Grinning at her over eagerness, he murmured, "What do you say, Lily… should we head to our "secret lovers spot"?"

"I am feeling rather randy," she smirked, tapping his nose affectionately.

Laughing, he quickly kissed her before bending down to collect his glasses. From his crouched position, he deftly hooked an arm behind her knees, flipping her over his shoulder as he rose. James ignored her shriek of protest, chuckling, "Isn't this what knights do in those Muggle romances? Carry the princess?"

"Not in this fashion, you dolt," she smiled, swatting him affectionately on the head.

Wisely choosing not to respond, he pressed the secret feather on the statue to open the door and reveal the Headrooms. The statue seemed to be taking longer than usual to open and Lily was getting impatient from her secured position. She began idly toying with the hem of his shirt, tugging and lifting it to spy warm flesh underneath. Lightly smacking her bottom, James playfully ordered, "Behave yourself back there," as he quickly strode through their elaborate common room.

He carefully weaved around the furniture, mindful not to jar his precious cargo. As he stepped into his bedroom, he felt warm palms slink under his shirt to explore the firm skin of his back. Quickening his pace, he kicked dirty clothes out of his path to reach his bed.

With an exaggerated pass, he tossed her playful form onto his mattress before pouncing on top of her. "Now, where were we?" he playfully ribbed, running his hands through her smooth hair in a slow caress.

"Here," Lily eagerly supplied, grabbing him roughly and hungrily attacking his lips.

Chuckling against her mouth, he regretfully pulled back with a teasing glint in his eye. "No, we weren't there yet," he grinned, quickly shedding his shirt, nearly popping the buttons in impatience.

She smiled in realization, lifting her hands to remove her own shirt, her bright, unwavering gaze never leaving the broad expanse of his chest. "Allow me, love," he purred, gently brushing her fair palms aside and bending low to crouch over her excited figure.

James carefully unclasped each button, starting at her navel and pressing hot kisses on every inch of bare skin her opening shirt revealed. Lily moaned against his teasing kisses, arching her back and allowing him to run warm, rough palms over her body. Her head rolled to the side of his pillow as his lips descended under the rise of her breasts. His wayward mouth caused a hot tremor to race down her spine and settle into the pit of her stomach.

James toyed with the last button of her shirt, idly wondering if it was the little pink number he'd glimpsed in the greenhouse. He flicked the button open and gently pushed her shirt to the side, running his palms over her round breasts and letting out a groan of disbelief. "Black satin," he sobbed, burying his head in the valley of her breasts, "so sexy."

Beaming at his words, Lily raised his chin, gazing at him while purring, "Wait till you see my matching knickers."

Letting out a whoop of joy, James raised his lean frame off her body, his eager hands rapidly traveling to the button of her trousers. "Not yet, James," she ordered, rising and pushing him on his back with uncanny strength, "it's my turn."

Grinning foolishly at her, James tried to look nonchalant, folding his arms behind his head and ignoring the rapid pulsing of his heart.

Lily smirked at the cocky look in his eyes, glad to know that despite the many changes he had made for her, the confident youth was still lurking underneath this new, mature James.

Somewhat annoyed that he looked so calm and collected when she was so hot and lightheaded, Lily set her jaw in sudden determination. "Feeling cocky, Potter?" she murmured, running her smooth palms teasingly along the planes of his chest.

Smirking when he twitched with a look of excitement clouding his hazel gaze as she continued, "Then I dare you to keep your hands off me until you positively can't stand it."

"That will be simple enough," he shrugged, sweeping his heated gaze over her barely clad figure, eying the rise and fall of her breasts.

Lily let out a low, breathy chuckle against his lobe, nipping it before teasingly flicking her tongue against the shell of his ear. "I don't think so, James," she purred, trailing light kisses down the column of his neck, "I know how much you love to touch your possessions."

"Really," he gulped, his thoughts taking a naughty dive, "like what?"

"Like that Snitch you insist on carrying everywhere," she teased, placing light kisses along his strong shoulders.

James chuckled nervously. That Snitch was currently resting in his pocket, inches from her teasing hands.

"And your hair that you insist on keeping messy because you believe it looks sexy," she smiled, lightly scratching his nipples, while flicking her tongue against his lips as she squeezed her thighs from her straddled position.

James groaned at the feel of her clenched thighs, fisting his hands so they wouldn't run through his locks and ultimately grab her.

"Hmm," she murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she gazed into his lust filled orbs, "I wonder what else you like to touch?"

She leaned in, resting her lips millimeters from his, smirking when he craned his neck to reach her before slyly moving out of his reach, bracing her weight on her forearms as she slowly crawled down his taut body.

James dropped his head back onto the pillow, tightly grasping the soft material in excitement. Her warm breath slowly traveled down the length of his torso to hover by his navel. He jumped when her soft fingers grasped the strap of his belt, brushing the smooth skin of his hips. James was in no way prepared for her to suddenly jerk down his jeans to place a hot kiss below his navel. Gasping in surprise, he met her avid gaze as she smiled, "Do you touch yourself down here?" Her plaint fingers easily unhooking his belt and popping the button of his jeans, murmuring against the firm skin of his stomach, "And think of me?"

"Merlin, yes," he hissed, jerking his hips towards her teasing figure.

Smiling with utter joy at his admittance, she laid on top of him, her soft curves molding to the hard planes of his body, "You know you want to touch me, James," she whispered deliriously into the crook of his neck, suddenly conscious of how the room was spinning, "I've been your unknowing possession for the last two years."

Letting out one last groan, he gave into his heart's desire and body's need, wrapping his arms around her. Moaning her name, he grabbed her hips, hoisting them up to seize her lips in a brazen kiss.

Lily willingly opened her mouth to his demanding tongue, pouring all of her feelings for him into this one kiss. Groaning from the heady sensation of his kiss, her hands frantically grabbed for his jeans, feeling a familiar object bulging from his front pocket. She withdrew the Snitch from his jeans and broke away from the kiss, holding it under his nose triumphantly.

Sheepishly shrugging at her, he grinned, "You know me so well," before hungrily attacking her lips once more.

With determination on Lily's part and James' expert maneuvers, she was able to finally get him out of his jeans.

James pulled her roughly against his eager form, his fuzzy mind ordering him to get Lily out of those trousers.

Lily's head rested heavily on James' shoulder as he seared her neck with kisses. Her drowsy lids opened, allowing her eyes to rest on the bright design of his boxers. She threw back her head in laughter, bumping into James' jaw as he regarded her peculiarly.

"What?" he asked, raising his brow in confusion.

"Your boxers," she choked out, her laughing frame clutched tightly on his shoulders for support.

"Like them, do you?" he smirked, proudly glancing at his dark maroon boxers with bright, sparkling, gold Snitches everywhere.

"I can't say it," she gasped for air, feeling a cramp in her side, "it's too easy."

"Lily Evans not speaking her mind," he mused dryly, "that's odd."

"You carry a Snitch in your pocket, wear them on your boxers… is there a Snitch tattoo I should keep an eye out for?" she teased, lifting the back of his boxers to spy the firm roundness of his bum in mocking inspection.

"No," he smirked, biting her nose playfully, "but what a wonderful idea."

"I'm serious, James," she nudged him, gazing quizzically as she fought the heavy droop of her suddenly sleepy eyes.

"I like the challenge it represents. Like chasing a dream you had little hope of obtaining," he murmured, moving a red, wayward strand of hair off her flushed cheeks.

"It takes a lot of patience… to be a Seeker," she whispered, linking their hands together.

"And persistence," he sighed, resting his forehead on hers, his spectacles sliding to the tip of his nose.

"And the chase is worth it in the end?" she hesitantly asked, her gaze clouded with worry, hope, and a fair amount of liquor.

"Absolutely," he grinned, kissing the corner of her lips, "this is all, of course, what Seekers have told me."

"I always wondered why you weren't a Seeker for Gryffindor," she murmured, slowly pushing his glasses back to their proper place.

"I only had time to chase one golden Snitch," he teased, slowly lowering her onto her back, "two would have driven me mad."

"They do demand one's full attention," she agreed, hooking her legs around his hips to bring his body closer.

"Bloody difficult they are," he smirked, placing soft kisses on the planes of her stomach.

"That's because they're independent, strong-willed, confident, and powerful!" she grinned, wagging her finger at him, "And they won't let just any bloke catch them."

"Merlin, Lily," he chuckled, "it's just a ball. You give it far too much credit."

Lily opened her mouth to angrily retort when he silenced her with a sweet kiss, banishing all arguments from her lips. "Now," he smiled at the dreamy expression in her gaze as he smoothly draped her knees over his shoulders and waggled his eyebrows, "what did you say before about matching knickers?"

Lily gave him a coy look, shrugging in response. She let out a shriek of surprise when he pulled her up by the loops of her trousers, supporting her back with a warm palm as he explored the hot recesses of her mouth.

Her thighs gave an involuntary squeeze from the use of muscles she hadn't used in a very long time. James seemed to sense her discomfort, gently lowering her back down to the soft bed.

His fingers deftly unhooked the button on her trousers, slowly unzipping the material and shrugging her hips out of it. A small scrap of black satin was all that stood between him and a place he only envisioned in his dreams.

James turned his head and kissed the smooth skin of her inner thigh, tasting her sweet essence.

Lily felt her eyes roll back as his warm breath washed over her. The feel of his lips so close to her center sent another hot tremor racing through her already feverish frame. She arched her back to bring those lovely lips of his closer to her body. Her eyes closed in pleasure when his lips made contact again, closer to her core.

She felt so warm and content in his arms. For the first time she felt completely relaxed, almost drowsy. She drifted in this heady sensation in a trance, wrapped tightly with security. She could no longer see James; her mind was so hazy. His hot touch seemed to drift away as she sunk further and further into her cloudy thoughts. It took her a lot of effort to open her eyes, but the frantic urgings of James lurched her out of the darkness.

Lily's eyes snapped open to view James' worried face above her. "Lily? Love, are you alright?" he asked, running a nervous hand through his locks as he gazed at her.

"Perfectly fine," she replied, her eyes wide with uncertainty, "Why did you stop?"

"You passed out," he murmured, lifting her into his lap to peer at her more closely.

The warm darkness she experienced suddenly made sense and Lily's gaze filled with regret. "James, I'm so sorry. Did I miss anything? Damn Firewhisky…" she trailed off, bringing a hand to her head as another fainting spell clouded her vision.

"I should take you to the hospital wing," he bit his lip in a panic.

"Don't be silly," she chided, snuggling closer into his embrace, "I did this once before last year after a disastrous girls' night. I just pass out… it's how my body recuperates."

"You sleep it off?" he muttered incredulously, eyeing her in disbelief, "no vomit?"

"None," she smiled, gently withdrawing from his grasp to rest against the bed, "but could you grab the small sobering potion on my dresser?"

James nodded solemnly and rushed out of the room, frantically returning in record time, asking, "Why did you set out a sobering potion?"

"I planned on getting smashed at the party," she shrugged, taking the vial and downing it.

"Why?" he pressed, his dark gaze shining with hope.

"Because the love of my life was ignoring me," she hiccupped, her eyes widening in shock, "Did I just say that out loud?"

Nodding in affirmation, James nuzzled her nose affectionately. "Love of your life, am I?" he cheekily grinned, scooping her in his arms to position her under the covers of his bed.

"I planned on saying that much more eloquently," Lily slurred, pulling James down to lie next to her.

"No worries, this saves me from undergoing some huge, elaborate ceremony of proving my love for you," he chuckled, trying his hardest to ignore the rampart desire still coursing through his veins.

"Actually, I already knew. Remus and Sirius told me," she murmured, fighting her exhaustion.

"Nosy gits," he sighed as a dawning realization swept over him, "you still would have made me struggle to say it to you, wouldn't you?"

Blushing a guilty shade of red, Lily tried not to laugh at his shocked expression. "You look rather cute when you're embarrassed," she sheepishly admitted, running smooth digits down the muscled contours of his arm.

Scoffing at her answer, he tried to look cross but failed miserably as he teased, "Wicked woman," before settling more comfortably next to her.

"Oh damn," Lily yelped, nearly jumping off the bed, "I left you in a rather unfortunate position."

James eyes went wide as she nervously licked her lips, her eyes darting down to his still evident desire. "Can you manage? Or do you need help?" she hesitantly asked.

He felt his mouth go dry at the suggestion, eyeing her flushed form and drowsy eyes, berating himself for even thinking about taking advantage of her offer. "I've already been waiting two years," he forced a laugh, "what's one more night?"

"James, you're too good to me," Lily murmured, cuddling against his rigid form.

"Sleep tight, love," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple as she drifted into unconsciousness.

James let out a slow breath, chewing on his bottom lip in determination. He would wait for a few more minutes to make sure she was asleep before leaving for a much-needed wank and a cold shower.

Lily sighed against his warm skin, shifting to bury her face in the crook of his neck, that delicate pink mouth of hers innocently resting against his pulse point.

Scratch that, his mind ordered, it'd be safer to wank, cold shower, and one more wank for good measure before coming back to bed.

As he made the slow move to leave the bed, Lily unconsciously tightened her hold on him, draping a leg around his hips, the heel of her foot resting dangerously close to his arousal. "Fuck," he gritted, sinking back into his pillow dejectedly, tossing his spectacles unceremoniously on the bedside table.

No amount of wanking would do him any good; it was going to be a long night.

A/N: Poor James... hehe. I loved writing this chapter and hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review and let me know what you liked and what needs work on!


	7. All's well that ends well right?

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Chapter Seven: All's well that ends well… right?

James opened bleary hazel orbs to glare at that pesky beam of sunlight; his bloody nine o'clock wake-up call. Stifling a groan at the uncomfortable crick in this neck, he massaged it with one hand, grimacing at the pain. Running a palm over weary eyes, he could only imagine how horrible he looked with dark circles under his lids. Last night had been a nightmare to endure, and yet, he would welcome the discomfort if it meant another night with Lily in his arms.

Sighing in exasperation, he stilled when he felt the redhead shift in his arms and draw in a deep breath. James felt her heartbeat quicken as her lids fluttered open. The young girl stiffened suddenly as she no doubt placed whose bed she was on and whose body she had used as a pillow. Her lower lip moved meaning she was biting it in thought, probably wondering if he was awake. But this would be the real test; tossed in an awkward situation with a man she had drunkenly confessed her love for the night before.

James drew in a deep breath and quietly murmured, "Good morning."

Lily's eyes widened as his chest seemed to rumble when he spoke. James was undoubtedly awake, ruining her plan of sneaking out while he slept. This left her two options. She could greet him coolly, apologize, blame her actions on the alcohol, and walk out of his life like a coward. Or, she could use this as a stepping-stone in their new intimate relationship.

Drawing in deep, steadying breaths as she searched for her Gryffindor courage she barely heard him murmur in a sad tone, "I'll use the loo first."

Lily felt her eyes well up in emotion as he gently withdrew from her grasp; he was saving her again, giving her an easy out and unknowingly curing her indecisiveness.

James rested the pads of his feet on the soft carpet, his back hunched in misery as he gathered the strength to get off of his bed and leave her, wishing this was all just a bad dream. He heard her shift and waited with clenched lids for her departure. You can imagine his surprise when he felt her cool arms wrap around his shoulders and her soft lips kiss the curve of his jaw, teasing, "The loo is mine, James. Honestly, haven't you heard of ladies first?"

James thought his jaw would completely unhinge in surprise, a warm bubbling emotion swelling through his frame and lodging in his throat. He squinted to watch her slide off his bed and slink towards the bathroom with swaying hips as she taunted, "Don't forget your glasses this time."

Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed his spectacles and rushed after her, skidding to a stop at the sink. Lily regarded his appearance with amusement, only James Potter could look that handsome rolling out of bed. "Sleep well?" she grinned, grabbing her toothbrush.

Snorting in reply, James crossed his arms, clearly annoyed at the amusement she found in his suffering. Grinning at him with a mouth full of toothpaste, her gaze briefly flicked over her appearance in the mirror and widened in horror. "Sure you can still love me after seeing me like this?" she challenged, spitting out the toothpaste and motioning to her disheveled appearance.

"This is my second favorite way of seeing you," he grinned, eying her barely clad form and wrapping his arms around her from behind as he lightly kissed her shoulder.

"What's your first?" she asked, wetting a washcloth to wipe her face.

"Starkers," he winked, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

"James, you've never seen me starkers," Lily rolled her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation.

"True. But in my dreams you look brilliant," he chuckled, running warm palms over her stomach, branding her skin with his warmth.

"James, stop talking," she ordered and he quickly obliged, puckering his lips for an expected kiss.

Lily smirked at him before shoving a toothbrush under his nose. James eyed her in amusement as he opened his mouth. "Honestly, you're like a child," she sighed, placing the toothbrush in his awaiting mouth.

Grinning at her, he began brushing his teeth in earnest, keeping her close with his other hand as his fingers toyed with the straps of her knickers. "In your dreams, Potter," she smiled, squirming out of his grasp, pretending to sniff him, "you're in desperate need of a bath."

He spit out the paste with a grin and replied, "An excellent suggestion. Why don't I draw us a bath?"

"Bathe together?" she scoffed, eying him suspiciously, "What do you take me for? Some common slag?"

"Never," he smirked, pulling her gently towards the tub, "I just have your best hygienic interests in mind."

"I'll make a deal with you, James," she began, sweeping her palms over his chest. "If you can catch me, I'll agree to this bath."

And with a small push, Lily fled from his embrace and out of the bathroom. James immediately leaped after her, a rush of adrenaline pumping through his system. Lily was on the other side of their small common room, using a large, maroon sofa as a buffer from him.

She eyed his excited face with a smile, as she taunted, "Come now, James, I haven't got all day."

"Don't rush me, Evans," he grinned, leaping over the couch to barely miss her quickly fleeing form, "you know how much I love the chase."

"Too true" she laughed, letting out a shout of joy as she threw a pillow at him before diving behind the cover of another piece of furniture.

James eyed her flushed appearance with a dangerous gleam in his gaze. Her wavy locks were in wild disarray, a few strands caught on her full lips formed in that kissable pout of hers. Those long legs, curvy hips, and full breasts encased in black lace sent his erratic heartbeat up a few more notches. This chase was far more important than all of the rest; the winning stakes were far too high to bugger up. He watched the angle of her hips and accordingly planned the leap over the small table to cut her off.

Lily shrieked in delight when his arms entrapped her. She struggled half-heartedly in his arms, shouting, "You're not getting me without a fight!"

"Even better," he chuckled, bending to toss her over his shoulder.

"James," she shrieked, pushing against his firm shoulders, "you cheat!"

"This isn't cheating, Evans," he taunted, running his palm possessively up her leg to settle on her round bum, "it's being resourceful."

"Resourceful my ass," she snorted, tensing when his lips found the lacy straps of her knickers.

James smiled against her skin, nipping the soft flesh playfully as he strode back to the bathroom.

Neither of them heard the creak of the entrance door until it was too late. A familiar click and hum caught the couple's attention, freezing them in their tracks.

Peter slowly lowered the camera and guiltily avoided James' dumbfounded gaze, turning to the two taller males at his side for support. "Ah, the sweet sound of blackmail," Sirius chuckled, beaming in satisfaction.

Lily craned her neck to spy James' three mates and let out a moan of mortification before scrambling off his shoulders and hiding behind his larger frame.

"Glad to see you're up and ready this morning," Remus jibed, glancing at James' bulge in amusement, "but we were hoping you'd still be in bed."

"And starkers," Peter quipped in earnest.

"But I must say, Evans, I love those knickers. Very sexy," Sirius winked, backing up when James let out what sounded like a low growl and hastily added, "Prongs is a lucky man."

Drawing in a deep breath, Lily's bright gaze regarded them coldly as she frostily gritted, sending a pointed look at James, "I'm going to take my bath now, ALONE!"

James gulped at her tone and watched her march bravely across the room with a confidence few could pull off in a similar state of undress. "Cheers for ruining a perfectly wonderful morning romp!" she shouted, glaring back at them. "See you all at the award ceremony."

The four men winced as the bathroom door slammed. "Is that true, Prongs?" Remus tentatively asked, breaking the group's tense silence, "A morning romp?"

"In the bath," he fumed, whirling on them in barely concealed anger.

"Oops," Sirius gulped, holding up his hands in surrender.

"If you all weren't my best mates I'd kill you with my bare hands. But since you are, I'll give you the count of three to leave," he gritted, satisfied when they all fled the room in panic.

James was careful to stay out of Lily's way as she exited the bath twenty minutes later; he could hear from her terse walk she was still upset. He figured he'd give her a good two hours to cool down before he approached her.

And so a clean and slightly presentable, his hair never managed to stay neat, Head Boy anxiously awaited Lily in their common room, dressed in his best school robes for the award ceremony scheduled to take place in an hour. His bespectacled hazel gaze lifted hopefully as her bedroom door opened.

Lily kept her face emotionless as she approached his nervous figure, wondering the best way to say what needed to be said.

James met her stern gaze in fear, determined that she was breaking up with him. "James, I…" Lily murmured remorsefully.

He steeled his heart for the impact, not daring to hope as she stroked his cheek soothingly.

Lily opened her mouth to continue her planned response, before changing her mind. With a light, "Screw it," she leaned over and softly seized his lips.

Gently running fingers through his "combed" hair, she fell into his surprised, but willing embrace, surrendering herself to the feeling of his lips tenderly caressing hers. "James," she pulled back, smiling at him, "I love you, but your friends are bloody impossible."

James blinked at her in surprise before tugging her in for another kiss, murmuring, "I'll never understand how women's minds work."

"Men never do," she sighed against his touch.

"Damn impossible to read," he continued, marveling at how beautiful she looked in her robes.

"They're too daft," she joked, kissing him softly.

"Thought you were angry me," James sighed against her lips.

"I was," Lily groaned as he began to trail kisses down the column of her neck.

"What changed your mind?" he asked, tugging her robes up to bare the smooth flesh of her calves.

"You looked so hurt and lost on the couch. It made me want to kiss you," she shrugged, leaning into the expert caresses of his hands.

James broke away and eyed her determinedly. "Are you serious? That's all it took?" he murmured, scratching his head in bemusement. "And to think, if I played that card a few years back I would have had you even sooner."

Lily smiled in amusement, "To be perfectly honest, James, I fought with you to wipe that insufferable smile off your face. Your cockiness annoyed me to no end."

"Some things don't change, Lily," he reminded her, his tell-tale smirk creeping over teasing lips.

"Believe me, I know," she grimaced, almost missing the steady chime of the castle clock. Quickly kissing him and jumping to her feet, grinning, "If we leave now we can be first in line for our awards."

"Actually, I have to do something with the guys first," he trailed off awkwardly.

"One last prank before the Marauders depart?" she laughed, eying him with a knowing look.

"Something like that," he smirked, mischievously pulling out a small mirror and tapping it with his wand, causing the glass to flash and vibrate.

Lily watched him, a dawning smile creeping over her lips. The entry door immediately swung open as the remaining Marauders piled into their room; their smiles faltering at Lily's stony expression at their arrival. "Hello boys," she stiffly greeted.

"Hi Lily," Remus meekly smiled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Don't you look smashing, Evans," Sirius grinned, sweeping his hair out of his grey gaze and winking at her roguishly.

Peter couldn't manage a greeting and instead withdrew a large bouquet of wild flowers from behind his back and delivered them to her with a squeaky apology.

"We all chipped in," Remus elongated, "to apologize for our rudeness."

"And to award you for having a gorgeous figure," Sirius chuckled, ignoring Remus' glare and James' haphazardly thrown pillow.

"Apology accepted," Lily smiled, accepting the flowers, briefly hugging Remus and Peter, while saving a smack for Sirius.

James flashed his friends a quick thumbs up for a splendid apology. "I felt the mirror, Prongs. Are you ready?" Sirius questioned, fidgeting in his stiff dress robes.

"The mirrors are ingenious, James," Lily praised, tapping his nose affectionately. They're similar to walkie talkies."

"Walking whaties?" James asked, smirking at the ridiculous word.

"It's a Muggle thing," she responded automatically, before pressing, "Didn't you take Muggle Studies?"

"Yeah," James winked, rising to his feet to wrap an arm around her shoulders, "but I only took it because I thought it would help me understand you."

"It didn't work," Remus chuckled, "I think it only confused him more."

"So, Evans," Sirius grinned, "did Prongs ask you the question yet?"

"Not the bloody question again," James gritted, "you've all gone mad."

"No, he hasn't," Lily quipped, "I think I'm going to have to do it myself. It's a dreary thought that I have to be the man in this relationship."

"You didn't ask her out yet?" Peter asked incredulously.

Remus and Sirius burst into laughter at the stunned expression on James' face. Wiping a tear from his eye, Sirius choked out in laughter, "Even Wormtail knew what "the question" stood for."

Groaning in disbelief, James buried his face in his hands, grimly muttering, "So simple."

"You are one daft git, James Potter," Lily chuckled, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.

"Lily, will you go out with our dense mate?" Remus grinned gleefully.

"He still needs a lot of work," Peter chimed, nudging James affectionately.

"But we're confident you're the right bird for the job," Sirius pushed James closer to Lily's laughing figure.

"Go out with me, Evans?" James softly asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Where will we go?" Lily innocently asked, "After all, Hogsmeade is now out of the question."

James was dumbfounded, he had never though past the possibilities of Hogsmeade, everything else seemed too far-fetched.

"Diagon Alley?" Peter offered, pitying James' silence.

"Or Muggle London?" Remus added.

All eyes turned to Sirius expectantly. "What?" he exclaimed, crossing his arms in defiance. "All of my ideas were too dirty and I didn't want to get smacked again."

"How does dinner sound? You choose the restaurant," Lily suggested, touched by the obvious affection and support of the Marauders.

"Brilliant," James grinned, grasping her hand and squeezing it lovingly.

"When?" Lily continued, idly wondering if he was at all prepared for the barrage of questions.

"Tonight?" James asked hopefully.

"James, I need to spend time with my family for a few days," Lily reminded him patiently. "How about in a week?"

James glanced at his watch and resolutely stated, "Perfect, I'll owl you on Friday at noon."

"Oh, the owl post will be a problem," she bit her lip anxiously, eying the group in embarrassment. "My sister has recently claimed to be allergic to owls and until she marries in a month, my parents have asked me not to owl anyone from our house."

"Do you know anyone allergic to owls?" Sirius smirked, nudging Remus jokingly.

"No, but my father is allergic to rodents," Remus shrugged, not finding Lily's predicament amusing.

"Bad luck, Wormtail," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"I have an idea, James," Lily grinned innocently, "since you've taken Muggle Studies, I'll give you my phone number and you can call me on the telephone."

James gazed at her blankly, wondering what the bloody hell a telephone was. "Something wrong, James?" Lily asked in concern.

"Lily," James pleaded, dropping to his knees and grabbing her hand, "Muggle Studies is one big blur for me. Please, love, remind me what a telephone is?"

"Wow," Sirius motioned to the couple, "he's down on one knee already. I wonder how long it will take her to agree to marry him?"

"A long time, maybe another couple of years," Peter shrugged.

"I'm betting less than a year," Remus grinned, "James can be very persistent."

"Very true," Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement.

"James, the professor spent half of the term explaining them. You can't have forgotten it," Lily sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, I didn't pay attention at all! After I found out we weren't studying the habits of muggles, I lost interest and focused elsewhere," James fumed, pouting at her.

Lily stared at him expectantly, tapping her foot in impatience. Rolling her eyes at James' uncommonly silent partners in crime, she prodded, "Well, haven't you thought of some pitiful excuse for your friend?"

"I was…" James began, running a nervous hand through his no longer messy locks.

"Sleeping," Peter chimed in a gloating manner.

"Plotting a prank," Sirius grinned, thoroughly enjoying the attention.

"Daydreaming," Remus murmured, rubbing his throbbing temples.

"…thinking of you, Lily," James ended sheepishly, not entirely confident of the results of his friends' comments.

"That sounds like a lot of excuses, Potter," she grinned mischievously, withdrawing her wand and pointing to his hand.

With a confident swish and flick, her phone number scrawled on his hand in enchanted ink. "Listen carefully, James," Lily smirked, capturing his attention, "that ink will disappear in 7 days. You have until that time to figure out what a telephone is and to call me."

James gulped and glared at the troublesome number. "Lily, eh, let's just say I can't figure out how to use this telephone contraption. Then what?" he inquired somewhat fearfully.

"Then you'll just have to wait a month before owling me," Lily shrugged, pulling him to his feet and lightly kissing him on the cheek, "but don't expect me to sit around waiting for you!"

"You wouldn't," he murmured in disbelief, bringing his palms to his face in horror.

"James Potter, you can not expect me to sit at home and wait for you! I'm a young, independent, attractive woman and can go out on as many dates as I like," Lily snorted, pocketing her wand and glaring at him.

"But what about last night!" he shouted, his hazel orbs darkening in fury.

"It was perfectly lovely. But I don't recall us making any long-term engagements," she shrugged, smoothing the wrinkles on her neat robes.

"But we love each other!" James exclaimed, "You can't honestly date around when you're in love with someone else."

"Can't I?" she tartly replied, spinning on her heel and stalking towards the door, shouting over her shoulder angrily, "I seem to remember you dating quite the number of girls in the past couple of years. Weren't you supposed to be in love with me then?"

"Those don't count!" James countered, crossing his arms in defiance. "At that time I didn't have a chance with you!"

Turning her head to regard him coolly, "Unless you figure out how to use a telephone, you don't have a chance."

"Lily, this isn't fair," James pleaded, his anger slowly being replaced by a fear of losing her.

She halted at the door, wheeling around to flash him a small smile, the anger from their spat still flashing in her eyes. "You're resourceful, James. I'm sure you'll come up with something. Don't worry, love, I'm sure any of your friends would be more than willing to take me out for dinner, a drink, and then… who knows where the night might lead us?" she laughed mockingly, chiming, "seven days," before closing the door behind her.

James let out a pent up breath and slowly turned to his friends wearingly. "Don't worry, James," Peter squeaked, holding his hands up in surrender.

"She's off limits," Remus chuckled, pitying his friend's plight.

"But what a tempting offer," Sirius smirked, letting out a bark of laugher when James tackled him to the ground playfully.

Peter let out a whoop and joined the mock wrestling match in glee.

"Not again," Remus sighed, trying his hardest to fight the smile creeping over his lips.

The three boys tackled Remus to the ground with a rousing cheer. Pulling robes, twisting arms, and light punches to see who would come out on top.

The Marauders barely made it to their award ceremony. Showing up in such a ruffled state that they caused quite a stir as they took their seats. Their prank caused a bit more attention, jinxing the awards to either compliment or insult the student (mindful of their house, of course).

It had been a wonderful end to a much-anticipated day. Allowing each student to momentarily forget about: his furry little problem; his fear of losing his friends; her hopeless attraction to that loveable, yet clueless git; his bitter separation from his family; and that cursed taunt of a number, so innocently scrawled on his hand

A/N: It's almost done! Awww… this story was so much fun to write, I'm kind of sad it's ending. Thank you Holly for being a wonderful beta and thank you to everyone who reviewed!


	8. A New Beginning

Chapter 8

A New Beginning

A/N: I'm very sorry! Student teaching was more difficult than I anticipated. Hope you all enjoy the final chapter!

The slow tick-tock of the kitchen clock reverberated in the empty room. An abandoned cup of tea still steamed next to a forgotten book. The clock chimed twelve o'clock and clear, green eyes peeked into the room, staring at a lone appliance fixed on to the back wall. Urging the damn telephone to ring, Lily's hopeful stare turned to a stern glare as she silently cursed the phone.

She had been up since six o'clock that morning, waiting. She had rushed through her shower and breakfast, reasoning that the sooner she finished what needed to be done, the sooner James would call. It was the last day of her little "challenge" and not for the first time she began to doubt her decision. Maybe she really was asking too much of him.

Her constant presence in the kitchen unnerved her mother, who shooed her out of the room, advising her to get some fresh air on such a beautiful day. But nothing could persuade Lily to travel far from the kitchen. She snuck back into the room a short while later under pretense of reading a book and enjoying a cup of tea. Unfortunately, not even her favorite Jane Austen novel could distract her from her troublesome thoughts.

"Lily, dear. What are you doing?" a soft voice questioned from the next room.

"Just grabbing my tea, Mum," Lily responded, idly stirring her now cold tea.

She dropped her head in defeat, resting her forehead against the cool table. The sharp shrill of a telephone jerked her out of her reverie and she made a beeline for the phone. Unfortunately, by some cruel twist of fate, Petunia reached the phone before her. "Evans residence," Petunia answered with tight smile, praying it was Vernon on the other line.

Lily watched her sister's response with bated breath. She glimpsed the flame of hope extinguish from her sibling's gaze and her thin lips dip into a severe frown. Petunia's entire demeanor turned rigid as she stiffly held out the phone, hissing, "It's one of your kind."

Lily ignored the venomous jibe; holding her head high, she marched over to the phone and slowly lifted it to her ear in trepidation. "Hello?" Her voice slightly wavered, and she bit her lip in anticipation.

"Good morning, Miss Evans," a kindly voice replied, "I trust your summer vacation has been quite relaxing."

"Yes, thank you," she murmured, racking her brain for the speaker's name. "I'm sorry, sir; to whom am I speaking?"

"Oh, how foolish of me. Albus Dumbledore at your service, Miss Evans," he chuckled warmly.

"Headmaster?" Lily stuttered in shock.

"It's Albus now, Miss Evans. You've graduated from Hogwarts and are now my equal," he replied with a tint of amusement laced through his response.

"With all due respect, sir, I appreciate your kind compliment, but I am far from being your equal." Lily blushed in embarrassment.

"Do not underestimate yourself, Miss Evans. Your exemplary achievements in Hogwarts are one of the main reasons behind this call. Under normal circumstances, I would have owled you, but due to your sister's unusual allergy I used a telephone. A truly genius invention; my high regard for Muggles grows every day," Albus responded heartily.

"Sir?" Lily asked in confusion.

"Miss Evans, I wondered if you would do me the honor of attending a small meeting amongst friends this evening at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade? Does eight o'clock work for you?" he asked kindly.

"May I ask what kind of meeting it is, sir?" Lily questioned.

"I'm afraid, Miss Evans, it's a private affair that should not be discussed over the phone. The meeting is purely information and offers, if I may say, hope in these dark times…" he trailed off.

Lily tightened her grip in the phone, a look of fear clouding her gaze as the implications of his words washed over her. Voldermort's dark influence had quickly spread throughout the wizarding world and his minions had begun to frequently strike against the Muggle world. The faint sound of the telly and her family's laughter seeped into the kitchen. A steely glint hardened her green eyes and gave her a confidence she didn't know she possessed. She had to protect her family at all costs; she was their only hope. "I'd be honored to attend your meeting, sir," Lily solemnly answered.

"Thank you, Miss Evans," he murmured thoughtfully. "Until tonight."

Lily hung up the phone in a daze, walking into the living room and slowly sinking into the couch. Her mother wrapped a comforting arm around her, and Lily turned into her embrace. She deeply inhaled her mother's light perfume and allowed the soothing scent to calm her frantic nerves.

Within Hogwarts' stone walls she had felt safe and protected from the harsh reality of the world. Unfortunately, with graduation came an understanding that Albus Dumbledore could not protect them all on his own. Too many innocent lives were already affected by Voldemort and his group of Death Eaters; someone had to stand up and fight alongside the Headmaster. She was so lost in her thoughts, she barely heard the shrill ring of the telephone.

"Lily, dear," her father's deep voice called from the kitchen, "there is a boy on the phone for you."

She jerked out of her mother's embrace with a start, a slow smile creeping over her lips. _James, _her mind sighed in anticipationDumbledore's call had completely distracted her. She ignored her father's pointed look and gingerly took the phone from his grasp. "Hello," she answered hesitantly.

"Hi, Lily." Remus' light voice greeted through the phone.

"Oh, hello, Remus," she sighed in disappointment.

"I take it he hasn't called yet?" he chuckled knowingly.

"No, the git is taking his good 'ole time," she muttered angrily. "Did you tell him how to use a telephone?"

"No. James is resourceful enough without my help. He's too smart for his own good, actually," Remus trailed off thoughtfully.

"Too true." Lily chuckled before asking, "How's your summer been?"

"An absolute bore. I never realized how much excitement Sirius and James added to my life," he laughed.

"You're still planning on visiting me over the summer, aren't you?" she prompted teasingly.

"Only if you visit me and Sirius at our flat," he teased back.

"You're rooming with Sirius? Willingly?" Lily chuckled.

"He's not that bad…" Remus trailed off thoughtfully before adding, "No, wait, you're right. What was I thinking?"

"A lapse in judgment, my friend," she sighed.

"Well, anyway, I won't hold up your phone line; owl me after your sister leaves," Remus reminded kindly.

Lily politely said goodbye and hung up the phone before resuming her position on the couch. Remus' call had done nothing more than remind her of Hogwarts. And Hogwarts reminded her of James. Funny how at the beginning of the year James was the only bad aspect of Hogwarts and now, less than one year later, he was at the top of her favorite reminders of the school. Well, he would be if the stupid prat would call already.

She began drumming her fingers in anticipation on the arm of the sofa. Three television programs later and the phone had still not rung. Her bright gaze flicked over her parents in boredom and she suddenly realized that her sister had slipped away. A nagging suspicion settled in the back of her mind and led her to practically jump off the couch and sprint towards the kitchen. Barging through the swinging door, Lily's eyes narrowed in fury at the sight of her sister chatting away on the telephone. "Petunia," Lily gritted out unpleasantly, "I told you I was expecting a call."

Tucking a wayward hair back into her neat bun, Petunia glared at Lily, murmuring a hushed goodbye and "see you soon," before hanging up the phone and whirling on her sister. "I was talking to Vernon, my fiancé. Your people can wait," she huffed and marched out of the room.

Tossing a rude gesture at her sister's retreating back, Lily sunk into the kitchen seat in defeat. Groaning in dismay, she sent a pleading glance at the phone, willing it to ring. With all her luck, James had been trying to reach her from a telephone for over an hour. And although the boy was persistent, that was stretching it a bit. Rising from her seat, she trudged up the stairs to her bedroom with heavy feet.

Thirty minutes later, the loud chime of the doorbell distracted Lily from her restless slumber and a small ray of hope flooded her system. What if James had called Remus and gotten her address and planned to surprise her with an impromptu visit? A hazy gleam settled over Lily's normally clear gaze as she pictured James bursting through the door with a bouquet of flowers and the intention to sweep her off her feet and away from her horrid sister. Her lips stretched into a soft smile and she rose from her desk and hurried to the door. Pressing her ear against the cool wood, Lily strained to make out the voices from the hall. At the sound of her soon-to-be brother-in-law's guttural greeting she collapsed against the door in disappointment.

Cursing at her ill luck, she ignored her parents' persistent entreaties to come talk with Vernon. They had no idea how deep the strife was between herself and Petunia. Although Hogwarts had given her a wonderful education, a brilliant group of mates, and introduced her to the love of her life, it had also served as a permanent estrangement from her only sibling, a fact that still left a hollow sensation at the pit of her stomach. By acknowledging her powers and becoming a "freak," Lily had lost the love and support of Petunia. It was no wonder that her sister had found a partner as bigoted and prejudiced as herself, although she was not yet certain whether Petunia had explained to Vernon the specifics of her "freak education." Lily shuddered to think how their children would turn out. Sitting with Vernon and Petunia and enduring their disdainful looks was now almost impossible to bear.

After forestalling the inevitable as long as she could, Lily finally acknowledged her parents' call and left the safe haven of her room. Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin and marched towards her parents and the _darling_ couple. Exchanging a fake smile and hollow greeting with Vernon, Lily sank uncomfortably into the armchair adjacent to the couple. Petunia seemed to transform into the simpering fool she always was around Vernon, putting on airs and brushing his hand playfully, placing her now adorned ring finger in the best light.

Lily remembered to nod absentmindedly every couple minutes to whatever the group was discussing, desperately trying to block out Vernon's overzealous bragging. Really, the fool was too loud for his own good. It did nothing but further prove his complete ignorance of what constituted polite conversation. Her parents, bless them, ignored his faults and welcomed him into their family for the sake of the happiness of their eldest daughter.

The sharp shrill of the telephone jerked Lily out of her dream-like state. She locked gazes with Petunia, green eyes brightening in hope as she jumped from her seat and dashed to the kitchen. Sliding to a stop before the ringing appliance, she placed a palm on her racing heart and drew in a calming breath before lifting the receiver and answering with a light "Hello?"

"Lily?" His smooth voice seemed to slide over her tense frame, causing her body to go limp in relief.

"James," she sighed in relief, biting her lip in an effort to conceal her smile as she chided, "It took you long enough."

His warm chuckling reverberated across the connection, sending a hot flash to travel down her spine. "What's your address, Evans?" he prompted, fondly drawing out the sound of her surname.

"1622 Mifflin Lane in Kent," she replied softly, gripping the phone like it was her last lifeline.

"Hope you're ready for me, love," James teased.

Lily's mouth opened in a small "o" as the low dial tone drummed in her ear. She gingerly replaced the phone back on the receiver and froze as the chime of the doorbell rang through the house. Licking her lips nervously, Lily glanced at her Muggle outfit in trepidation. She was wearing a worn pair of shorts and casual tank top to combat against the hot July weather. "Darling, see who's at the door," her father asked from the next room.

Lily ran shaky fingers through her hair and drew in a deep breath before exiting the kitchen. She slowly walked towards the front door, keeping a neutral expression on her face as she passed her family and Vernon. She paused in the hallway directly in front of the door, confident that her family was too engrossed with the story of Vernon's job interview at some drill company to pay any attention to her.

Lily slowly opened the door and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of James' tall frame lounging casually against her doorframe. He looked handsome in Muggle clothes and seemed a bit too comfortable in them for a wizard. Her heart fluttered as he flashed her a smirk, his warm eyes crinkling in amusement.

Pushing off of the doorframe, James stepped closer to her, dropping his chin to meet her wide gaze. He drew her into a tight embrace, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Lily melted into his strong hold, resting her face in the crook of his neck. She breathed in his scent, smiling when she felt his pulse quicken beneath her touch.

James pulled out of the embrace and gave her a charming grin as he presented her with a single daisy.

Lily eyed the flower in amusement before asking, "James, did you pluck that from my neighbor's yard?"

"Maybe," he smirked, tapping her nose with the petals.

"Well," she teased, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

His gaze gleamed with amusement as he leaned closer to her lips, lightly murmuring, "Always so demanding-"

Lily halted any further words by lacing her fingers through his messy locks and pulling James in for a heated kiss.

James quietly groaned against her lips, hooking an arm around her waist to pull her against his body. Bringing a warm palm to cup her cheek, he angled his head, halting her light, teasing kisses with a searing kiss of his own.

Lily slowly felt the support leave her legs and she clung to his strength, not minding when he guided her against the doorframe. She barely heard her mother's light voice asking, "Lily, dear, who's at the door?"

The couple quickly broke apart, quickly eying each other guiltily with heaving chests. Biting her lip, Lily gently led James into her home, calling out over her shoulder, "Just a friend from school, mum,"

James quirked a brow at her and muttered "_friend?_" in a disdainful manner.

Placing a finger against his firm lips to silence any further complaints, Lily held back the smile when James bit her finger playfully.

"Well, are we going to meet this friend of yours or will you both continue to hide in the hallway?" Mr. Evans's amused voice teased the startled couple.

James frantically attempted to control his hair, a vain pursuit. Chuckling at his concern, Lily grabbed his hands and drew them down to his sides as she placed a brief, reassuring kiss at the corner of his lips.

A goofy, besotted expression transfixed James' features at her attentions and he allowed her to tug him out of the safety of the hallway and into the tense atmosphere of the sitting room. "Mum, Dad, this is James." Lily shyly smiled, holding fast to his warm palm.

James flashed what he hoped was a confident grin at her parents and greeted them with a cheerful "Hello."

Mrs. Evans eyed him closely, focusing on his messy hair and askew spectacles before tentatively asking, "James… Potter?"

James shot a quick look at Lily's tense frame before nodding in agreement.

"You were Head Boy this year, weren't you?" Mr. Evans added, eying the couple's linked hands sternly.

"Yes, sir," James answered with pride, his telltale smirk creeping over his lips.

"We heard many stories about you over the years," Mrs. Evans fought down an amused smile, "and to be honest, they weren't very flattering."

Lily bowed her head in embarrassment, a faint blush quickly spread over her features before softly chiding, "That was over a year ago, Mum."

"So, a year ago my daughter couldn't stand you, young man. Has that changed?" Mr Evans abruptly asked, gauging his reaction.

"Yes, sir, it most certainly has," he grinned, squeezing Lily's hand affectionately.

Mr. Evans gave the young man a quizzical look, further prompting James to elaborate. "We're dating," James honestly admitted, meeting her father's appraising gaze with confidence.

"But you hate James Potter," Petunia murmured in disbelief, eying the strange scene before her.

Lily regarded her sister in surprise; she had never realized Petunia listened to her and actually cared to remember. "That changed this year." Lily smiled, her bright gaze fixed on her sister in hope.

Petunia realized her slip and felt a brief stir of regret for her sister's newfound hope. It was too late for the two of them to reconcile their differences. Maybe if she had ceased her insane obsession with that magical nonsense they would be able to bridge the gap between them. She drew in a small breath and considered saying something supportive. Vernon's uncomfortable shifting at her side brought her values back in focus. She forced her lips into a sneer and shrugged off Lily's gaze, glaring stonily at her.

Lily's shoulders slumped in disappointment and she leaned closer to James, threading her fingers through his. James regarded her closely, rubbing his thumb soothingly over her hand. "Well," Mrs. Evans broke the tense silence with a small grin, "if our Lily has changed her mind about you, that's good enough for us. Why don't you sit down for a spot of tea, James?"

Mrs. Evans patted the seat in between herself and her husband, smiling at him encouragingly. James hesitantly left Lily's side and sat down, mentally preparing himself for the longest interrogation of his life.

Vernon Dursley felt the end of his thin moustache twitch in annoyance as he pulled his lips into a grim line. His beady eyes narrowed at the handsome youth across from him. The insolent boy had the gall to steal his limelight! He had rehearsed a variety of jokes to impress the senior Evanses and this Potter fellow would not let him get a word in. Vernon had spent the last six months building a relationship with the Evanses. It had taken a lot of preparation and carefully planned compliments to worm his way into their favor. And all this boy had to do was gain the high opinion of their youngest daughter and he was immediately welcomed into the family.

Swallowing a lump of bitterness, he barely hid his sneer as Mr. Evans heartily clapped the boy on the back, gracing him with a friendly smile. Vernon cleared his throat, trying in vain to gain the Evanses' attention. Unfortunately, Lily's date, this Potter fellow, had once more launched into another elaborate, witty tale about his escapades at Hogwarts, silencing any sound from Vernon.

Lily took a slow sip from her drink, eying James from across the room. It was almost too perfect. He had won her parents over without even trying. And to think she once viewed his easy charm with annoyance. Her gaze flicked to the wall clock in interest and she was surprised to find that they had been sitting here for almost two hours. Pointedly clearing her throat to gain the cozy trio's attention, she remarked lightly, "Would you rather take my parents on a date today, James?"

Flashing Lily a cheeky grin, he winked at her, drawing Mrs. Evans' hand to his lips as he briefly kissed her knuckles charmingly. James gallantly murmured a sweet "farewell" against her knuckles before turning to Mr. Evans and shaking his hand. He stood up and hesitated to approach Vernon and Petunia, but in the end, thought better of it. "I'll have Lily back before eight o'clock, sir," James promised Mr. Evans.

"Actually, Dad, I'm going to a small school reunion after my date with James, so I'll be later," Lily added, avoiding James' sharp gaze.

"You should take your robe," James reminded her thoughtfully. "The temperature will drop by eight o'clock."

He watched her stroll out of the room and allowed his thoughts to wonder. Had Dumbledore contacted her as well? A hollow feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want her mixed up in the resistance against Voldemort. He clenched his hands into fists at the thought of her in danger. The risks were twice as high for her due to her Muggle background. Then again, maybe he was reading too deeply into this. She might just be meeting some school friends for a drink. Biting back his sigh of frustration, James almost missed Vernon's sneering question directed his way. "What type of car do you drive?"

"I don't own a car," James evenly replied as he turned towards the stocky man.

Vernon snorted derisively and peered at him with mocking amusement. "I just purchased a new model myself with part of the bonus from my higher position in my company. What type of job do you have?"

"I don't have a job," James solemnly stated, anger coiling from the back of his throat as a superior look passed over Vernon's face.

Vernon, who was the only one chuckling, grinned maliciously. "You're off to a poor start for a lad of what, eighteen?"

Petunia blanched at the angry looks her parents were sending Vernon's way and discreetly pulled on his sleeve to keep him in line. She had chosen not to reveal her sister's magical background and lied to her fiancé. Vernon naively believed Lily had switched to different school because she lacked the intelligence to thrive where Petunia attended. Really, one would look batty if they told their would-be-suitor that her sister practiced witchcraft at a school in the Scottish countryside.

"Vernon," Mrs. Evans admonished sternly, "please treat our guest with respect."

He pretended to look abashed, but the triumphant glint in his eye told otherwise. "Dursley," James tightly smiled at the ignorant man before him, "I don't drive a car because I have faster means of traveling. Why drive when I can just fly, Floo, or Apparate?"

Vernon bristled at the strange vocabulary; a chilling brush of trepidation jolted his frame. "As for not having a job," James smirked sternly, "I am secure enough financially in my world that I don't need to work."

"What do you mean, your world?" he sneered, overlooking the rest of James' speech.

Eying Vernon as if he were daft, James elaborated, "The world of magic."

"All ready, James?" Lily asked as she breezed into the tense room.

"Magic?" Vernon scoffed, "What nonsense is this?"

Lily froze, eying Petunia's terrified expression. Whispering his name, Lily placed a cool palm on James' arm and led him towards the door. "Ignorant, bigoted Muggle," James muttered darkly, halting Lily from exiting out the front door.

"James?" Lily asked tentatively; she hadn't seen him this frustrated for a long time.

"You've passed your Apparition test?" he asked, turning towards her suddenly.

"Of course," she murmured, realization dawning over her with horrific fascination.

"Mr. And Mrs. Evans," James grinned, instantaneously switching moods and gracing them with a hearty smile, "has Lily ever performed magic for you before?"

"No, Lily didn't want to offend her sister," Mr. Evans replied, proud that the boy hadn't back down from the confrontation with his future son-in-law.

"Would you like to see some?" He grinned wickedly, reaching for his wand tucked in his back pocket.

"James, we can't," Lily chided, ignoring the spark of rebellion heating her frame.

"Oh yes we can, Lily," he winked at her, a flame of mischief lighting his dark eyes, "help me show them."

Her soft lips twitched into a smile and she removed her wand from her robe pocket. Lightly murmuring, "_Accio footstool_," Lily directed the plush stool to rest under her mother's resting feet. "My word, that's fantastic, darling," Mrs. Evans beamed, flexing her toes from their new, elevated position.

"Have you ever tasted a cold Butterbeer, sir?" James smiled and flicked his wand, turning Mr. Evans' nearby cup into a frosted bottle of Butterbeer.

Amazed, Mr. Evans raised the bottle to his lips and tasted the sweet liquid with relish. "Delicious," he gushed in admiration.

Turning to face her sister's dark glower, Lily smiled bemusedly and asked, "Remember how you always wanted to fly?"

Petunia opened her mouth to deny such a foolish fantasy when she felt herself gently raised into the air. Shrieking in horror from her raised position, she frantically worked her arms and legs, demanding to be released from this witchcraft. Vernon had jumped to his feet and was trying vainly to pull her back down.

James rounded on Vernon, smirking at the man's obvious discomfort. A thin sheen of sweat settled over Vernon's round face as struggled with Petunia. James raised his wand, hesitating when Lily ordered, "No jinxes."

Pouting at her, James sighed and murmured, "I suppose a cooling charm will have to do."

"I won't allow you to use any hocus pocus on me!" Vernon shouted, shaking his fist threateningly.

Before Vernon had completed his sentence, the cooling charm had already begun to take effect as a sharp blast of cold air rushed over his body, chilling him to the bone. James dryly chuckled and muttered a loud, "Oops, guess I cast that a little off," and flicked a finger against Vernon's frozen moustache.

Vernon roughly pushed James' hand off of him and gingerly touched his frozen hair with a horrified groan. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans," James began smoothly as Lily returned Petunia to her original position on the couch, "it has been a pleasure meeting you. I'll make sure your daughter gets home safely."

Lily slipped her hand into James' waiting one, squeezing it in assurance as he Apparated them both with a crackling _pop_. The couple missed Petunia's shrill shriek of horror and Vernon's terrified yelp at their sudden disappearance. Mrs. Evans settled her feet more comfortably into the footstool and raised her cup in salute to his husband's silent toast with his bottle. James Potter had made quite an impression.

Lily maintained her sure grip on his hand during the speedy journey, not daring to open her eyes in fear of getting nauseated. The moment her feet touched solid ground, she loosened her hold on him… but only a little. Giving in to the bubbling laughter that had been slowly building since Petunia's feet first left the ground, Lily let out a light peal of laughter, leaning against James' strong shoulder. "Lord, I have wanted to do that since third year," she admitted, pressing a light kiss to his cheek, "thank you."

"I had no idea your home life was like that, Lily," James admitted solemnly, "to have to hide your gifts, your superb talent, is such a waste."

"It's not that bad. Petunia can get annoying, but she's out of the house soon anyway. Besides, my parents have always supported me; I could never leave that sort of love and support," Lily explained, gazing at him in earnest.

"Never?" he quietly asked, eliciting a small smile from Lily.

"Not any time in the near future, James," Lily teased lightly.

"And by near future you mean…" he smirked, pulling her closer for a kiss.

"Potter!" She attempted her best McGonagall glare and smacked his shoulder.

"Merlin, I love it when you get cross," he admitted, kissing her softly, rubbing his thumbs tenderly over her cheeks.

"Odd git," she grinned, running her fingers through his mussed hair.

Her clear gaze glanced over his shoulder and she wiggled out of his grasp. "James, where are we?" she asked, gazing at the sloping countryside surrounding her.

"A favorite place of mine," he shrugged absently, and tugged her towards a large, weathered ash tree.

Lily gazed in wonder at the beautiful landscape. Soft, rolling, green hills sloped into a receding dip in the distance. A dense scattering of large trees decorated the plush landscape, their great branches reaching out to embrace the countryside. The gentle sunlight glinted off a small, clear lake in the middle of the valley. Resting her hand on the grey trunk of the ash tree, she lapsed into silence and stood in awe at the natural beauty of the landscape. "How did you find this place?" she murmured, finally meeting his gaze.

"It's a Potter family secret." He winked and, with a sweep of his hand, drew her attention to a large blanket spread on the soft ground.

Lily gazed at the large basket of food in the center of the blanket with a soft smile. "Oh, James," she sighed in affection before jibing, "who did you steal this idea from?"

"Hey!" he shouted in protest, scooping her against his frame, "this idea is one hundred percent Potter."

Laughing lightly, Lily grinned, "I find it hard to believe you were the first man to invent the novel idea of a romantic picnic."

Sinking into the blanket in a huff, James blew a wayward strand of hair out of his eyes in annoyance. "A bloke tries to do something nice…" he trailed off in exasperation.

Lily smiled and sank to her knees beside him. Gently brushing the strand off of his face, she lightly kissed his brow, murmuring, "I do appreciate the gesture, James."

"The idea was so creative," she continued, brushing a light kiss against his cheek, "a far cry from a trip to Hogsmeade."

James held back the pleased grin; he planned to savor this moment. "I must be the luckiest witch alive," Lily cooed, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly at him as she stroked his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose.

He felt his mouth begin to betray his will and twitch into a small grin. "There must be some way I can repay you," Lily murmured in a low voice, halting over his lips and lingering above them teasingly.

James felt his eyes cross as he stared at her lips over the bridge of his nose. They were so close. He just had to lean over a tiny bit more-

"So when that time comes, let me know," she finished, moving away from James and his lips to lie on her back beside him.

James let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed back onto the blanket at her side. Why had fate delivered him such a cruel, teasing girlfriend? He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eyes, and his gaze narrowed at the sight.

Lily was clutching her stomach for support as she struggled to contain her silent laughter. Tiny tears had begun to trickle from her bright gaze and her lips were pulled back to reveal her brilliant smile.

"You minx," James cried and pounced on her; Lily's shriek of delight washed over the couple as he tickled her mercilessly.

"James," she laughed, drawing in ragged breaths, "stop, I can't breathe."

He ignored her pleas for mercy and chuckled, "Not so high and mighty now, are you?"

Lily grinned mischievously at him and hooked her hands around his neck, dragging him down for a kiss. James groaned against her lips and halted his assault; he had missed this: the heated, drowning sensation that clouded his senses every time her lips touched his. He deepened the kiss and ran his hands through her wild locks, wrapping the silky strands around his fingers.

Lily slinked her hands under his shirt, skimming them over his torso as his muscles clenched involuntarily at her touch. She loved this feeling of power of him. James was so strong and steady in all other aspects of his life; all except her. Grinning as she slid her leg up to hook around him, Lily sighed as his mouth left hers to place hot kisses along the column of her neck. "I missed you so much, James," she whispered into his mop of hair, running soft palms over his shoulders.

James stilled in her arms, raising himself on his elbows to stare down at her in complete adoration. "The feeling is shared, luv," he smiled, his warm gaze shining in joy.

Rolling off of her with a dramatic sigh, James reached for the picnic basket in vain. It stood a mocking six inches out of his lean grasp. "Sometimes I wish I could just move items with my mind so I wouldn't have to move," James admitted with a dramatic sigh, momentarily losing his desire for food.

"Honestly, James," Lily laughed, "you're a wizard; just use your wand."

"But that involves moving as well," James elaborated, linking his hands behind his head and letting out another sigh.

Clucking her tongue at him, she chided, "Potter, you lazy leech, if you didn't move you'd lose some very nice attributes," and ran her palm possessively over his flat stomach.

"Some sacrifices must be made…" he trailed off, waggling his brows at her. "Don't pretend you wouldn't still love me."

Rolling her eyes at him, Lily sat up and leaned over him to drag the basket closer to them and began rummaging through the bag. James grinned from his position beneath her, his gaze level with her pert breasts dangling over him. If he had moved he would have missed this lovely display. His fingers traced the slit of skin visible between those lovely Muggle shorts and thin cotton shirt. He could lie here touching her all day and be the happiest man alive. "James," her low voice interrupted his daydreams and brought him back into focus, "there aren't any utensils in this basket. How are we supposed to eat all of this food without forks and plates?"

"Easy," he grinned, placing a soft kiss on her tempting breasts before flipping her on her back.

He blindly reached for the first item of food in the basket and pulled out a container of grapes. Plucking one from the container, he held it to her lips. "You plan on feeding me with your fingers?" she asked tentatively, opening her mouth slightly to welcome the sweet fruit.

"I expect similar treatment," he smiled, opening his mouth, patiently awaiting a grape.

Lily humored him and plopped a grape in his mouth with a bit too much force, causing him to choke and cough for a few seconds. "That plan works well with fruit and sandwiches, but it will never work with the chocolate pudding," she explained patiently.

A slow smile worked over James' lips as he leaned over and whispered warmly, "I can think of a few ways to make it work."

Lily blushed a faint hue, opening her mouth to retort when he slipped a grape in to silence her. "Trust me, Lily," he smiled, placing a light kiss at the corner of her lips.

Lily licked the last drop of chocolate pudding off of her fingers in satisfaction, her gaze bright with mischief as she eyed the small drop of pudding on his cheek. She leaned in to quickly lick the offending pudding off and settled into James' warm embrace.

The sun was slowly sinking in the horizon, forcing James to transfigure empty containers into soft candles for light. It had been the perfect day… once James had showed up. She decided from her warm, secure position in James' arms that she could lie there for the rest of her life. And she planned on telling him that when a light buzzing vibrated against her thigh and distracted her. She raised her eyebrows at James' sheepish look as he withdrew a small pocket mirror, tapping it with his wand. "James, you bloody wanker, you're going to be late!" Sirius' voice shouted from the trinket and the handsome youth's face appeared on the reflecting surface.

"I lost track-" James began when he was rudely cut off again.

"I don't care! It's nearly eight and-" Sirius halt his rant, at Lily's surprised shriek as she leapt from James' embrace and flew towards her belongings.

"I have to be somewhere at eight," Lily explained, tugging on her robe to combat against the cool weather and searching for her shoes.

"I'll take you there now," James stated calmly, and tapped the mirror to erase Sirius' image before placing it in his pocket.

"I can't believe I got so sidetracked," Lily berated herself under her breath as she crouched to her knees and began cleaning up the mess from their meal.

"Leave it, Lily," he ordered, drawing her to her feet, "the house elves will get it."

"The house elves… how?" she asked in confusion and allowed herself to be tugged away from the mess.

"We're on my land," he shrugged, motioning to the view before her, "my family's estate rests right over that hill. The house elves made the meal and will clean it up."

"I knew it," Lily smirked triumphantly, tapping his chest with her finger, "I knew you didn't do this yourself."

"I came up with the idea," he argued half-heartedly.

At her snort of disbelief, James switched subjects and asked, "Where are you going?"

"The Hog's Head, but you don't need to escort me there," she explained, withdrawing her wand.

"No worries, I'm going there anyway," he replied evenly, not meeting her penetrating gaze.

Without another word, they both Apparated to Hogsmeade and the entrance of the poorly lit pub. Lily moved to enter, but was halted by James' strong grip on her hand. "I don't want you involved in this fight, Lily," he whispered, meeting her gaze sternly.

"We're all in this fight whether we want to be or not," she explained, squeezing his hand gently, "And I want to do everything in my power to help the right side."

"I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt," he admitted softly, bringing her palms to rest over his heart.

"And you think it doesn't kill me to think of you neck-deep in this war?" Lily admonished quietly. "But I know you and how you wouldn't be happy unless you did everything in your power to stop this crazed lunatic. I feel the same way."

"But you have more to lose; your background-" he protested and stopped at the touch of her finger against his lips.

"Muggles are in just as much danger as wizards and witches, and as a Muggleborn, I need to protect my own. I need you to understand that," she whispered, leaning against his strong frame.

Nodding mutely in acceptance, James opened the door for her, placing a warm palm on the small of her back to guide her in and support her. Lily entered the pub with James at her side and was directed by the bartender to a backroom. She was surprised at the number of Hogwarts students there she recognized and called friends. Meeting Dumbledore's kind gaze, she raised her chin and nodded in greeting at her old Headmaster before sinking into the seat besides James, holding fast to his hand. She would be fine… they would be fine.

A/N: The End! Finally, right? Thanks to everyone for reviewing and being patient. I hope the wait was worth it.


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